Design For Life
by Tardis19
Summary: He's a shy library clerk. She's an outspoken tattoo artist. They come from two different worlds, but they're both looking for the same thing. Can they survive the danger that is lurking nearby and have their happy ever after?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Meh can haz Twilight?

A/N: So ... I work in a library and thought it would be great to write a nerdward/libraryward story. Why not? Forks Memorial Library is real, and I went to their website and gathered info to make this as realistic as possible. Granted, this is fiction, so obviously I've taken a few liberties here and there. And since I've never actually been to the Forks library, I'm pulling from the libraries that I've worked at over the years. I hope you enjoy the story. Right now, I'm looking at an every other week updating schedule, but that could change to every week. Big thanks to Chylex28 for reading my story, being honest when it sucks, and fixing my errors.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

_"When I got my library card, that's when my life began". ~Rita Mae Brown _

_Well, crap,_ I thought as I looked down and noticed that not only my shoes, but my new khakis, were splattered with mud, thanks to the truck that had driven past and splashed me. Taking a quick glance at my watch, I knew that I wouldn't have time to walk back home and change before work started. I guessed that was what I got for walking the seven blocks to work in the rain. Seven minutes later, I opened the back door to Forks Memorial Library and stalked in, upset that not only were my clothes ruined, but that my umbrella had been mangled by the wind. Tossing the umbrella in the bin next to my desk, I shrugged out of my soaked coat, and hung it on the back of my chair.

"Good morning, Edward!" the disgustingly cheerful voice of Mrs. Cope, the head librarian, called out to me.

"Morning," I mumbled back, as I pulled up my to-do-list for the day. The staff made fun of me and my to-do-list, because it rarely changed. I did the same thing day in and day out, but that was life in a small town library. After reviewing my list, I grabbed my mug and headed for the coffee pot. I hated coffee, but drank it regardless. Pouring a cup, I mumbled a hello to my two fellow co-workers. Angela, who I'd known since first grade, and Jasper, my best friend and my sister's boyfriend. Angela and I were clerks, while Jasper was in charge of our genealogy and local history department. And that pretty much made up the staff. We had a couple of high school kids who came in and paged for us in the afternoons, but it's not like we were ever really busy.

"What happened to your pants, Ed?" Jasper asked, in his southern drawl.

I scowled at being called Ed. I hated it, and he knew it. "Stupid driver in a truck splashed me when I was walking here."

"Eh, well, as long as your sitting down behind the desk, no one will notice."

I agreed with him, then went about turning on the computers at the front desk. Once that was done, I sat down and began stamping the due date cards. Yes, due date cards. Most libraries have moved into the 21st century, and have computers that print out a slip of paper with the list of books and due dates, but not us. The city of Forks wouldn't justify the cost of new computers and printers. Cheap bastards. I spent the next hour stamping cards and checking in the book drop, while Angela kept up a running commentary of her weekend. I liked her and all, but I could care less what she and her boyfriend did or what movie she saw. Noting that it was almost ten, I grabbed the keys to the front door and went to unlock it, letting the masses that were waiting, inside.

Ha! Man, I was funny. The only person waiting to be let in was Mrs. Riley. She was pushing 95 and had a crush on Jasper. She claimed that she was researching her family history, but in truth, I think she just wanted to spend all day with him. Walking back to the front desk, I let Jasper know that his girlfriend was there.

"Shut up, _Eddie_!" he hissed at me as he followed Mrs. Riley into the local history room.

I sat back down behind the check out desk and started filling out interlibrary forms that some of our patrons had put in. Thanks to the computer, it was a fairly easy task, and I was done fairly quickly.

"Edward?"

I looked over at Angela. "Yes?"

"I'm going to go pull some books for discarding, so you'll be on your own for a bit."

"Okay."

I wasn't too worried. It wasn't like I was going to slammed with a herd of people wanting to check out. In the time that Angela was gone, three people came in to use our computers and one person checked out a book. Finally, my lunch break rolled around, and I headed to our little break room. I spent my hour reading before reluctantly heading back to the desk. I was finished with all of my assigned tasks, so I quickly checked my email.

I had an email from the University of Washington, reminding me that the deadline for fall applicants was soon approaching. I'd started my application for grad school months ago, but hadn't gotten around to finishing it. I only had two more weeks to turn it in, before I would have to wait another year. I'd thought for sure that getting my Masters in Library Science was a given, but lately, I wasn't sure that was what I wanted to do. Did I really want to be a librarian? Everyone expected it of me. I'd been working at the library since I was sixteen and had moved my way up from a page to a clerk. Even when I'd gone off to college, I'd worked at the Forks library during the summer and the UDub library during the year. I was a bona fide nerd. Which, my brother, claimed was the reason why I didn't have a girlfriend.

Finally, six o'clock rolled around, and I said goodbye to Mrs. Cope and Angela. I grabbed my coat, threw it on, and headed out the door. Jasper offered to give me a ride, but I declined, stating that I enjoyed the walk. Jasper didn't understand why I would want to walk seven blocks at night in January. Few people did. I enjoyed it though. Gave me time to think, stretch my legs, and breathe in some fresh air.

I approached my house and noticed that there was a light on in the house next to mine. It had been empty for a while now, but I guessed that someone must have moved in. Glancing at it once more, I noticed an old red Chevy parked in front of it. The same truck that had splashed me earlier. Well, that was just great. Scowling at the truck, I stomped up my steps and unlocked my door.

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><p>The week flew by, and I'd yet to see the owner of the mud-splashing truck. Not that I really cared, but I was a bit curious. Friday mornings at the library were kind of busy. Lots of parents came in with their kids, and my sister, Alice, held a morning story time that was quite popular. After her story hour was over, Alice reminded me that I was expected at Sunday brunch, and not to be late. I didn't really want to go, but knew that my mother and Alice would pester me until I gave in. I let out a sigh and told her I'd be there.<p>

Twenty minutes before we closed, the door to the library opened, and in walked the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She looked like an angel. She was about 5'4", long brown hair, and stunning brown eyes. She was wearing a form fitting sweater under a leather jacket, and a pair of jeans that looked like they'd been painted on. I was pretty sure I'd forgotten how to breath. I looked to Angela, hoping that she would help this angel, but she was on the phone. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get any words out if she approached me.

"H ... hi. May I help you?" I stuttered out, feeling like a complete idiot.

She flashed me a smile, and I felt my brain melt. I would be lucky if I could form a coherent thought.

"I'd like to get a library card, please."

I stared at her, while my brain tried to process what she'd said. She met my gaze dead on, and I adverted my gaze when I realized that I'd been staring at her.

"I'll ... uh ... need to see a photo ID. If it doesn't have your current address, then I'll need a recent piece of mail that does," I managed to tell her.

She pulled a wallet out of her pocket and produced her driver's license. Taking it from her, I handed her an application with shaking hands. I went to give her a pen, but managed to drop it on the counter. She caught it before it rolled off, and gave me a smile. I was sure I was blushing like a fool. I hated that I was awkward and shy around girls.

With trembling hands, I began to type her information into the computer. I noticed that her name was Isabella. A fitting name for such an angel. If I'd been paying attention, I would have noticed that she lived next door to me, but I didn't. Once I was done, I went to give her back her license, and of course, I practically threw it at her. She had good reflexes and caught it. I stammered out an apology, wishing that the earth would just open up and swallow me. She handed me the application, and I put the rest of her information into the computer before handing her the library card.

"Here ...," I paused, then started over. "Here's your card. Um ... it's good for three years and you get unlimited checkouts. You can use your card at any of the other North Olympic Libraries in the area, such as Port Angeles."

"Thanks," she said, flashing me that smile again. "Can you show me where the fiction books are?"

"Uh ... sure."

I pushed away from the desk, stood, and walked around toward her. Motioning for her to follow me, I headed toward the back of the building. I prayed that I wouldn't trip and make an even bigger fool of myself, so of course I did. I tripped on the corner of a bookshelf and almost took myself out, but her hand reached out and grasped my arm, preventing my fall.

"Thanks."

"Sure."

As soon as I showed her where the fiction section was, I rushed back to the desk to be met with the smirking faces of Jasper and Angela. Jasper rolled a chair over next to mine, and braced his elbows on the desk.

"She's pretty fucking hot."

I turned to give him a glare.

"Well, she is. I'm sure you noticed. After all, she had you blushing like a little girl."

"Shut up," I growled at him.

He let out a laugh and continued to tease me, getting Angela in on it. Scowling, I stood up and stalked off to the back. I knew I was inept at talking to girls, and I didn't appreciate being made fun of. Huffing, I sat down at my desk, taking a deep breath. _God, I was pathetic, _I thought to myself, running my fingers through my hair. I was twenty-three, for crying out loud, and I'd only had one real girlfriend, and that was in high school.

"Hey, man. I didn't mean to upset you," Jasper said, from behind me. I turned around and found him standing there, hands jammed in his pocket, and apologetic look on his face.

"It's fine," I told him, rather curtly.

He let out a sigh. "No, it's not. I know how shy you are, and I'm sorry for picking on you."

"It's fine. I—" I stopped to gather my thoughts. "I just wish I wasn't such a loser. I mean, it shouldn't be that hard to talk to a girl, right?"

"You're not a loser, Edward. So what if your a bit on the quiet side? There's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, but you don't have trouble talking to girls, do you?"

"You just need to be more confident. It's not like you have any trouble talking to Angela."

"Well, yeah, but Angela's just Angela. I've known her forever, and I don't think of her like _that_."

"Just be yourself, man. That's the best advice I can give you," he said, clapping a hand on my shoulder before heading back to the local history room.

I really hoped that Mrs. Riley tried to grab his ass again. He deserved it. Letting out a snicker at that thought, I made my way back to the front desk.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Angela told me.

I waved it off. I was over it, for now. We worked quietly side by side until the beautiful angel headed our way. Quickly, Angela stood up, mumbled something about work she had to do in the back and left me alone.

Clearing my throat, I then asked her if she'd found what she was looking for.

She smiled and once again, I felt my brain melt. "I did. Thank you," she said, handing me the three books she had selected, along with her library card.

I couldn't help but notice what she was checking out. Classics. _Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, _and _Wuthering Heights. _I enjoyed the classics myself, and realizing that this made me a complete nerd, and maybe less of a man, I kept quiet regarding her choice of books.

"Here you go. Um ... they'll be due back in three weeks."

She thanked me, and I watched as she walked away, berating myself for being such a loser and not talking to her more. She was truly, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Letting out a sigh, shaking my head, I went back to work wishing for the day to be over.

Sunday morning rolled around far too quickly for my liking. I dreaded Sunday brunches at my parent's house. If my mom and sister weren't there, it wouldn't be so bad. Sighing loudly, I pulled my Volvo into my parent's driveway. Reluctantly, I made my way up the walk, and was immediately engulfed in a hug by my mother.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, my sweet boy. It's been too long."

I rolled my eyes. "You saw me two weeks ago."

Glaring at me, with hands on hips, she told me that was too long. I headed into the house and found Alice and Jasper snuggled up on the couch, kissing. There were somethings a brother doesn't want to see his sister doing, and that was one of them.

"Edward!" she squealed, upon seeing me. Prying herself off of Jasper, she threw her tiny arms around me in a fierce hug. What was with the women in my family? They acted like they hadn't seen me in years. Peeling her arms off of me, I sat down at the end of the couch. We made small talk until Mom called us to set the table.

Brunch was phenomenal. It usually was. My mother was a hell of a cook, and I was grateful that I'd be going home with some leftovers. Dad had just finished telling us a story about some crazy guy that had come into the hospital, when Mom asked me how work was going. Jasper, being the jerk that he was, felt the need to answer for me.

"Work's going great, isn't it, Eddie?" he said with a smirk.

I gave him a glare, and told my parents that work was fine.

"Yeah, he set up the new girl in town with a library card."

My mother and Alice perked up at hearing that. "What new girl?" they both asked, turning to me. _Crap_. Quickly, I told them that a young woman had come in and gotten a library card. That she had just moved here, and that that was all I knew.

"Is she pretty?" my mother asked.

Taking a deep breath, preparing myself for what was going to come, I answered, "yes." Which set off the squeals that only dogs could hear.

"What's her name?" Alice inquired.

"Isabella," was my reply. I then told them that I didn't know anything else about her. Which was true.

On the short drive home, I thought back to the woman that had been haunting me since Friday. I could easily get lost in her beautiful brown eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to see if those lips felt as soft as they looked. It was a bit depressing, realizing that that was never going to happen. Women like that, didn't go out with guys like me. I pulled into my drive and noticed a light on at the neighbor's house. I got out of my car, and went to get some books that I'd left in the backseat, when I saw the door to the neighbor's house open. Looking over, I dropped the books that I had just picked up. There, climbing into the offensive truck, was none other than my angel. My mind went blank. All thoughts ceased to exist. Time slowed down, and I watched as she pulled out of her drive. She must have seen me, because she stopped the truck and rolled down her window.

"Hey!" she called out, waving at me.

I gave a little half wave back, terrified that she'd want to talk. I was right.

"I didn't catch your name the other day."

Slowly, I made my way toward her. I hoped like hell that the dark would hide the blush that I knew was on my face.

"Oh, I'm Edward. Edward Cullen."

She gave me a brilliant smile that left me stupid. "I'm Bella Swan. Looks like we're neighbors."

"Yup," I said while nodding like a bobble head._ Crap!_ I probably looked like a moron.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Edward. Hopefully, I'll see you around."

"Well, those books are due in three weeks, so I'll probably see you then," I managed to get out.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll have them done before then. I gotta run, but I'll see you later," she said, putting the truck back into gear and tossing me a wave. I stood there, car door still open, books still laying on the ground, and watched her drive off. Well, that hadn't been too awfully horrible. Granted, she'd done most of the talking. Bending down, I picked up my books, closed the car door, and headed inside.

That night, my dreams were plagued with visions of Bella. Finally, at around four in the morning, I gave up trying to sleep. I headed down to my living room and turned my laptop on. My older brother, Emmett, had sent me an email wanting to know when I was coming to visit him. He and his wife, Rosalie, lived in Seattle. I went out and saw them a few times a year. I wasn't a big fan of Rosalie's, so I tended to avoid visiting them. I found her rude, brash, and a bit abrupt. I didn't understand what Emmett saw in her. He was the fun-loving, out going guy, with a great sense of humor. I shot him off a quick email, telling him that I was busy with work and wasn't sure when I'd get out there. It was a complete lie, and I wouldn't be surprised if he called me on it.

By the time eight o'clock rolled around, I was ready to leave my house and go to work. The weatherman was calling for snow, just a few inches, and I was fine with that. Bundling up, I grabbed my bag with my books, shoved my wallet into my back pocket, and headed out. Locking the door, I saw Bella standing on her porch. Taking a deep breath, and gathering my courage, I called out, "good morning, Bella."

She turned and gave me a smile. "Good morning, Edward. Off to work?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yep. Gotta head into Port Angeles and get the shop open."

Telling myself, that I could do this, I did my best to make conversation. "Oh. What is it that you do?"

"I'm a tattoo artist."

What? There was no way I heard her correctly. Did she say she was a tattoo artist? My shock and confusion must have shown on my face. She let out a laugh.

"I get that reaction a lot."

My mind just couldn't get over the shock of her words. In my mind, tattoo artists were these crazy tattooed freaks with bright colored hair and multiple piercings, but Bella looked normal.

"Uh ... really? You tattoo people?"

"Yeah. I've been doing it for a while now. I love it."

I had to know. "Do you have any?"

Giving me a grin, she replied, "of course."

"Huh," was my brilliant response. Telling me goodbye, she got in her truck and headed out, while I stood there, dumbfounded over what I'd just learned.

The walk to work was spent thinking over everything I'd just learned. I was so preoccupied and caught up in my thoughts, that I didn't realize that I'd walked the seven blocks to work. I spent the morning doing my usual tasks, before giving in and googling Bella's name to see if anything would pop up. Imagine my surprise when it did. I clicked the link and it came to a site for the Arizona Tattoo Expo. There was an article all about her. I quickly devoured it. She had won some awards for her tattooing, a few years in a row. She had worked for a shop called New Moon which was run by a guy named Billy Black. It stated that she was leaving Phoenix to work for Billy's son, Jacob, at a shop called Eclipse in Port Angeles, Washington. There was a picture attached to the article, so I clicked on it and was stunned. I already knew she was gorgeous, but to see her with her tattoos was a major turn on. I'd never considered tattoos a turn on, and on anyone else, I probably wouldn't.

"Damn! She is freaking hot!" Jasper said from behind me. _Crap._ I was so busted. Quickly, I closed the page, but the damage was done. He pulled a chair out next to me, leaned back, and smirked.

"So, she's got tatts, huh?"

"Yeah. I talked to her for a bit this morning and she mentioned that she worked at a tattoo shop in Port Angeles."

Jasper leaned forward and stared at me. "You talked to her? When? I didn't see her come in."

"She lives next door to me," I mumbled out, not meeting his gaze.

He burst out laughing. "That is fucking awesome!"

I frowned at his language. There was no need for it. My siblings and Jasper all swore like sailors, and it bothered me. According to Emmett, they were going to revoke my man-card since I was such, and I quote, "a pussy." Another word that I absolutely hated.

"Dude! That is seriously awesome. Wait 'til I tell Alice."

I dropped my head into my hands. I really didn't want my nosy sister knowing that the girl, no, the woman, that left me speechless, lived next to me. She'd start meddling and never leave it alone.

"Don't. Just don't. I can barely talk to Bella as it is. The last thing I need is for Alice and Mom to start matchmaking or whatever it is that they do."

"Fair enough. I won't say anything, unless directly asked. I won't lie to your sister."

I nodded and thanked him. A few minutes later, the door opened and in walked Mrs. Riley. I heard Jasper groan beside me.

"Oh, there you are, Jasper dear. I need your help."

I let out a little snicker. Jasper shot me a glare as he got up to walk Mrs. Riley to the Local History room. The day was slower than normal, probably due to the snow that was coming down. Mrs. Cope had left early, so I pulled out a book that I had just started and was soon immersed in it.

"Good book?" a sweet, angelic voice asked me.

Looking up, I saw Bella leaning on the counter of the checkout desk. I marked my spot and quickly put my book down.

"It's okay."

There was a moment of awkward silence, with us both sort of staring at each other. I hated that. I hated that I was uncomfortable around women, and that they were uncomfortable around me.

"Well, I wanted to stop in and return the books I borrowed. My own books finally arrived earlier this afternoon."

With trembling hands, I took the books from her and checked them in. It was only three o'clock, so I was a bit surprised to see her, but it was none of my business, so I didn't say anything. Jasper chose to make himself known at the moment. Coming out of the Local History room, he approached us with a smile on his face.

"Hi. I'm Jasper Whitlock," he said, holding out a hand.

"Bella Swan," she told him with a smile.

"I see you've met Eddie here." I gave him a scowl, which only caused him to laugh.

"I'm dating his sister, Alice. She does story time on Fridays. Anyway, seeing as how I've heard so much about you, I thought I'd introduce myself to you."

I was going to kill him! She probably thought I was a creepy stalker and would never talk to me again. She did raise an eyebrow, a pierced eyebrow, at that.

"Oh, really? And what has he told you?"

My face was on fire, my eyes cast downward. I attempted to look busy, but we all knew I wasn't.

"Not much. That you're a tattoo artist and that you just moved to town."

"I am and I did. I'm originally from Phoenix."

"I'm thinking about getting a tattoo," he told her.

That was news to me. I wondered if Alice knew. They spent the next forty minutes talking about different kinds of tattoos and tattoo placements. I was jealous of how easy Jasper made it look to talk to her. Finally, they stopped talking, and with a wave she headed out.

"She's really nice. You should totally come with me when I get my tattoo."

I turned to look at him. "You're really going to get one?"

He nodded.

"Does Alice know?"

"Yeah. She wants to get one as well. I'm sure Emmett wouldn't mind getting another one."

"Em has a tattoo?" How the hell did I not know this? Did I not know my family at all?

Jasper looked at me like I was stupid, which I was certainly feeling. "Yeah. He's got a couple. I figured we could go this weekend, or later this week. I'll talk to Ali and found out for sure," he told me, before heading back to his desk.

Shaking my head, all I could think was that I was surrounded by deviants. I couldn't imagine getting a tattoo, or even wanting to get one. On my break, Alice called me, ecstatic about the idea of going to Eclipse and getting a tattoo done by Bella. By the time we closed, I was convinced that I was adopted. There was no way I shared genetic material with those crazy people that called themselves my family.

Refusing a ride from Jasper, I started the trek home in the snow. I was about halfway home, when the sky opened up and the snow started to fall quite heavily. Pulling my coat tighter around me, I kept trekking on.

"Edward!"

Spinning around at the sound of my voice being called, I slipped on the pavement and fell on my butt. _Great_. That wasn't embarrassing at all. I heard the slamming of a car door and footsteps heading my way.

"Oh, Edward! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," an angels' voice said. Holding out a hand, she helped me sit up. Bella crouched in front of me, staring into my eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I lied. Helping me stand, she gestured toward her truck which was now idling next to the curb.

"I'll drive you home."

I nodded and thanked her. Awkwardly, I climbed into the cab of the truck and watched as she got into the driver's seat.

"What were you doing out walking in this?"

"Oh ... I always walk to work. It gives me time to think," I told her quietly.

"But it's snowing out!"

I let out a little laugh. "Eh, just a little bit."

She turned her gaze to me and raised that pierced eyebrow again.

"I've lived here my whole life. I'm used to it. I guess coming from Phoenix, this does seem like a lot."

I managed to make small talk with her, until we reached our houses. I thanked her for the ride, and rushed inside my house. That night, my dreams were restless once again. I hated not sleeping. It made me a rather unpleasant person in the morning. Glancing outside, I noticed that the sidewalks were fairly clear, so I bundled up and headed out. Locking my door, I noticed movement from Bella's house. I watched in horror as a tall guy with dreadlocks, walked out of her house. She followed him, pausing to kiss him on the porch before he climbed into a massive truck that was parked on the street. Seeing me, she gave me a cheerful smile and wave. I gave her a tiny wave as my heart shattered. That guy was proof that women like Bella, didn't go out with guys like me.

I started my walk to work, wanting nothing more than to turn around and hide in my house. The world seemed so cold and lonely. I didn't know why I was so upset. It's not like we were friends or anything. It's not like I wasn't used to being alone. Absently, my hand rubbed over my heart. I had fallen hard for her, and I'd only known her for a matter of days. It was like high school and college all over again. I always fell for the beautiful, unattainable girl. Caught up in my self-pity, I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings. I stepped off the curb, heard the blaring of a horn, and then darkness set in.

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><p>AN: So there we have it. The first chapter of this little story. To clear up a few things for those who might not know: a page is someone who shelves books. My first job, at 16, was as a page. Although the library I worked at, called me a shelver. Secondly, a library clerk is _not_ a librarian. There is a difference. I'm a library clerk. I do not have a Master's in Library Science, therefore I am not a librarian. People call me a librarian all the time, and I'm quick to correct them. Until I get my Master's, I do not deserve the title of librarian. More often than not, the person who checks you out at the library is a clerk. As always, all reviews are appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: It's not mine.

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews I received last chapter and for all those that read. Big thanks to Chylex28 for helping me out. I'm always a bit nervous when a post a new chapter, and this is no different.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

"The tattoo attracts and also repels precisely because it is different." ~Margo DeMello

**BPOV**

I, officially, hated moving. I'd moved more times than I could count, thanks to my mother's inability to stay in one place too long. Renee was a bit of a free spirit, almost child-like, which led to me being the adult in our little family of two. When I was seventeen we moved to Phoenix, and for the first time, I felt like I was home. Thankfully, she'd met a man named Charlie, who was a cop, and they fell madly in love. After graduation, I headed to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix with plans to get a degree in English education. Money was tight, so halfway through my freshman year, I got a job working as a receptionist at New Moon, a tattoo shop in downtown Phoenix. Charlie wasn't thrilled with my place of employment.

Billy Black, the owner of New Moon, was awesome. I remembered walking into his shop, terrified of what I'd find. I was so naive when it came to the world of tattooing. I don't know what I expected, but I wasn't expecting the comfy, clean atmosphere that was New Moon. Billy sat behind the counter, long black hair pulled back, arms covered in tattoos. I told him that I was interested in being a receptionist, and he hired me right then and there. The following four years were a learning experience. Once Billy learned that I could draw, he asked me if I was interested in learning how to tattoo. To my great surprise, I was, and to my even greater surprise, I was good at it. I'd found my calling.

I finished out school; graduated with my degree in English education, and went to work as a full-time artist at New Moon. Renee didn't really care about my choice of career, but Charlie was less than thrilled. Especially, since I had, slowly, become tattooed over the years and was dating a fellow artist. He felt that I was wasting my potential. The next two years passed quickly, and before I knew it, I was being featured as an artist at the Arizona Tattoo Expo. That was where Jacob Black, Billy's son, asked me to come work for him. Jacob had set up his own shop, Eclipse, in a small town in Washington, and was looking for a qualified artist. I spent three weeks contemplating whether or not I wanted to move to Washington and leave the sunny warmth of Arizona behind me. I sat down with Billy and had a long talk, and after some consideration, I decided that a change of venue was in order.

That was how I found myself moving to the sleepy little town of Forks, Washington. I'd found a cute little house for sale for pretty cheap, and I snatched it up. I was excited to have my own place. I'd been living with Renee and Charlie while in school and was thrilled to be on my own. I spent my first week getting myself settled in, not only to my house, but to my job as well. I truly loved what I did. Eclipse was a small shop, but had a lot of clientele, and I was welcomed with open arms. By the end of the first week, I was desperate for a good book. The nerdy bookworm was there, underneath all the tattoos, and I knew that Forks had a library. I wasn't sure what time they closed. Realizing that it was almost six, I hopped into my old truck and headed toward the library.

It was cute. As was the guy behind the desk. I noticed the hours on the door and realized that they'd be closing soon. I hated when people waited until the last minute before coming in, and here I was, doing the same. Walking quickly, I approached the bronze haired man at the desk.

"H ... hi. May I help you?" he stuttered.

Poor boy, seemed to be a bit shy. Odd that he would work in a customer service type job. Flashing him a smile, I told him that I wanted to get a library card. He asked for my license, which I handed over, noticing that his hands trembled when he took it from me. I felt really bad for him. He was really hot, but seemed a bit flustered whenever I met his gaze. He handed me an application and a pen, which I managed to catch, before it rolled off the counter. He blushed and immediately turned his eyes to the computer to start inputting my information. I filled out the form and managed to catch my license, when he accidentally flung it. He really was too cute. After getting my card, I asked him if he could show me the fiction books. He managed to trip on the corner of a bookshelf, and I reached out to grab his arm before he fell. He really was adorable. Wholesome and good. Not the kind of guy I would ever date.

* * *

><p>I spent Saturday at the shop. Seth, Jacob's partner, in more ways than one, was out sick, so I offered to fill in. The morning was slow, spent doing inventory and the occasional tat. I had just finished cleaning up from the previous appointment, when this blond bombshell walked in.<p>

"Welcome to Eclipse. Can I help you?" I asked her.

She gave me a cool glance, then asked if Seth was around.

"He's out, and Jacob's at lunch. I'm all you've got."

"Who are you?"

"Bella Swan. I just moved up here. I worked for Billy, Jacob's dad, back in Phoenix."

She looked me up and down and must have decided that I'd do. She told me that she was interested in getting a piercing. Turns out that she'd had one nipple pierced earlier in the year by Seth, and wanted to get the other one done. No biggie. I'd pierced more nipples than I could count, both male and female. After getting the necessary equipment, I led her over to my station. She removed her shirt and bra, and I got to work. It didn't take very long, and she seemed happy with how it turned out. I gave her the usual taking care of your piercing lecture, she paid, and then I was alone.

"Hey, Bells!" Jacob called out, as he walked in.

"Hey, Jake. How's Seth feeling?"

"He's whining like a bitch in heat. Lordy, that boy is the worst patient ever."

I grinned at him. "All you men are babies when you're sick. I'm sure he'd be saying the same about you."

"Probably," he said, grinning, then heading over to his station.

Jacob Black was gorgeous. Tall, muscular, with copper colored skin, thanks to his Native American heritage. His long black hair was in a braid down his back. He arms were covered in tats, as was his back and chest. Not to mention the nipple piercings, the tongue piercing, the ears with gauges, and I was pretty sure his cock was pierced as well. He was the kind of guy I would date, with the minor fact that he was as gay as Tim Gunn. When I'd first met Jacob, years ago, I had flirted long and hard with him, only to be shocked to find out he was gay. He didn't give off that vibe. He introduced me to Seth, his boyfriend and business partner, who was just as equally gorgeous. Just my luck to be surrounded by good looking gay men.

"So, Bells. When's Laurent coming up?"

Laurent Demitri was my long time boyfriend. We'd been dating for three years, after we met at a tattoo expo in Vegas. He had been less than thrilled that I'd moved out here, but I was going to try and convince him to move out here. Jacob needed another artist for the shop, and Laurent was really good.

"Next week. We haven't talked much lately, but I'm hoping to convince him to move in with me."

"Good luck," Jacob snorted. He knew that Laurent hated the cold. I wasn't particularly fond of it myself, but I was going to have to suck it up and get used to it.

I spent Saturday night reading the books that I'd gotten from the library, and spending more time than I would have liked, thinking about the bronze haired man. There was something about him that got to me. Sunday, I rolled out of bed and lazed around before getting dressed to head to the grocery store. I needed to stock up on supplies, in case I got snowed in. I realized that sounded a bit ridiculous, but I was from the desert. For all I knew, a huge snow storm could hit at any moment.

I had just climbed into my truck, when I noticed the guy from the library getting out of his car, in the driveway next to mine. I rolled down the window and waved to him.

"Hey!" I called to him.

He looked up, a bit flustered, and gave me a small wave. I realized that I didn't know his name, so I decided to ask him.

"Oh, I'm Edward. Edward Cullen," he said in a velvet voice.

Edward. Such an old fashioned name. It suited him perfectly.

"I'm Bella Swan. Looks like we're neighbors," I told him. He nodded, not saying anything. He really was a shy guy. After a few more minutes of small talk, I waved goodbye and headed to the store.

I killed an hour at the store, then headed home. I noticed the light in his living room was on, and part of me wanted to go over and talk to him, but I didn't. After putting my groceries away, I sat down and finished _Wuthering Heights_, a book I'd read a million and seventy-five times. I'd left my copy at home, and hoped Laurent remembered to bring it with him when he came up. Thinking of him, I decided to give him a call.

"Hey, baby," I said when he answered.

"Hey, babe. How's bumfuck, Washington?"

"It's not that bad. Quite charming. Cold, though."

I heard him snort. "Have no fucking doubt about that. You couldn't pay me a million bucks to live in that shit."

Convincing him to move up here wasn't looking very promising.

"I'm sure you get used to it after a while."

"What the fuck ever. Arizona is home."

"I guess that means you wouldn't be willing to move up here and work for Jacob?"

"Babe, we've been over this. I'm sure Jacob's a cool dude, but I don't want to work for him. I like working for Billy. I fucking love Phoenix. I'm a big city kind of guy, and you work in a small ass town."

"Seattle isn't that far away. You know? The home of grunge."

"Bella. It ain't happening. I'll come visit and whatnot, but I refuse to move there."

_Fan-fucking-tastic_. Sometimes Laurent was such an ass.

"Are you still coming up this week?"

"Yeah."

We spent the next forty minutes catching up, but when we hung up, I wasn't nearly as excited for him to visit as I had been.

Monday morning was cold and snowy. This would be my first attempt at driving The Beast in the snow, but Jacob had put chains on my tires, so I was sure I'd be okay. Heading out of the house, I was pleasantly surprised to see Edward coming out of his.

"Good morning, Edward. Off to work?" I asked him.

"Yes. You?"

"Yep. Gotta head into Port Angeles and get the shop open."

Curiosity was written all over his face. "Oh. What is it that you do?"

"I'm a tattoo artist."

The look on his face had me laughing. He was completely shocked. People often reacted that way. Billy said it was because I looked so wholesome and sweet.

"Uh ... really? You tattoo people?"

"Yeah. I've been doing it for a while now. I love it."

"Do you have any?" he asked, biting his lower lip.

Giving him a grin, I replied, "of course." I was pretty sure my response left him stunned. He mumbled a goodbye and started walking toward town. Smiling at his silly behavior, I headed out to Port Angeles. I spent the morning talking to Jacob and Seth, who was finally feeling better.

"Have you met anyone in Forks yet?" Seth asked me as he doodled on a piece of paper.

"Yeah. I met my neighbor. He also works at the library."

"Ooo. He's a nerd!"

"Yes, but he's a cute nerd."

That got both of their attentions. "Do tell," Jake said.

"He's tall. A little over six feet, looks toned, has this awesome bronze colored hair, and these gorgeous green eyes."

"What's his name?" Jake asked.

"Edward Cullen."

That got gasps out of both of them, and then laughter.

"Hell no! Bells has the hots for Little Cullen."

I didn't understand what was so funny. And besides, "I don't have the hots for him. I just think he's cute."

"He is cute," Seth agreed. "His brother, Emmett, got a tattoo from me not too long ago. His wife, Rosalie, got her nip pierced as well."

"I think I met her last week," I told him, as I described her.

"Yup. That's her. She's something else."

Jake was still giggling over the fact that I found Edward Cullen cute.

"Bella, you have to understand. Little Cullen doesn't date. He's only had like one girlfriend, ever. He's very much a nerd. Last I heard, he was getting his Master's in Library Science."

I shrugged. Nothing wrong with being a nerd. I did feel bad that he wasn't very lucky in the girlfriend department. I didn't understand that. "He's quite good looking. Why doesn't he have a girlfriend?"

Seth gave me a shrug. "Who knows. He's a nice guy. Really nice. Kind of old fashioned. He's very proper. Emmett said that he doesn't even swear."

I couldn't imagine never swearing. I swore like a drunken Irish sailor. I couldn't understand what my fascination with Little Cullen was, but I was intrigued by him. At around two, Jacob told me to head home, and warned me to be careful driving. The snow wasn't super bad, but it was coming down. As I arrived in Forks, I stopped at my house and gathered up my books, deciding to make a stop at the library. I walked in and found Edward behind the desk, reading a book.

"Good book?"

He looked up, slightly startled. He marked his place and told me that it was okay. Good lord, getting this boy to talk was like pulling teeth. "Well, I wanted to stop in and return the books I borrowed. My own books finally arrived earlier this afternoon."

He took the books from me with his trembling hands. I hated that I made him nervous. I just wanted to hug him and tell him not to be. Although, that would probably cause him to have a coronary. After I handed them to him, a young man with curly blond hair and beautiful blue eyes approached me.

"Hi. I'm Jasper Whitlock," he said, holding out a hand.

"Bella Swan," I told him with a smile.

"I see you've met Eddie here. I'm dating his sister, Alice. She does story time on Fridays. Anyway, seeing as how I've heard so much about you, I thought I'd introduce myself to you."

Interesting. Edward had talked about me to his friends. I raised an eyebrow and asked Jasper what he'd heard. He told me that Edward had told him I was a tattoo artist. I soon found out that Jasper and Alice wanted to get tattoos. I had a good time chatting with Jasper, and found myself liking him instantly. There was something very calming about him. He explained that he was a history buff, and wanted a tattoo that related to his love of history. I told him to come by the shop on his next day off and see if we couldn't set him up with something. We talked for a while more, and knew without a doubt that I had a new friend in Jasper. I left the library, heading toward Newton's Sporting Goods to buy a shovel and some salt for my sidewalk.

I was on my way home when I spotted Edward walking in the snow. Rolling my window down, I called out his name and winced when I saw him slip and fall. I threw the truck into park and rushed over to help him. It looked like he'd taken a nasty spill, and it was completely my fault. Helping him sit up, I asked if he was okay. Once he confirmed that he was, I offered to drive him home. I couldn't begin to fathom what he was doing out here in a snow storm.

"Oh ... I always walk to work. It gives me time to think," he said in a quiet voice.

"But it's snowing out!"

He let out a little laugh. "Eh, just a little bit."

A little bit? It was a fucking blizzard out there.

"I've lived here my whole life. I'm used to it. I guess coming from Phoenix, this does seem like a lot," he said, with a small smile.

I let out a little laugh. "It's not that I haven't seen snow before, but it's been a long time. Not since I lived in Wisconsin, when I was around eight or so."

"Oh. You're not originally from Phoenix?" he asked. I was glad to see him talking a bit more.

I shook my head. "Renee, my mom, is a bit flighty. She's a free spirit and as a result we moved a lot. I moved to Phoenix when I was seventeen."

"Uh ... how old are you? If you don't mind me asking."

"I turned twenty-four in September. How old are you?"

"Twenty-three this past June."

Our conversation came to a crawl as I pulled into my drive. He thanked me for the ride and quickly scurried inside his house. I let out a small sigh. He was so fucking adorable. My phone began ringing the second I stepped into the house. Checking the number, I saw it was Laurent.

"Hey, baby."

"Hey, babe! I managed to catch a flight out earlier than I thought. I wanted to let you know that I'm hanging out with Jacob and Seth."

I was a bit stunned. He'd gotten into Seattle earlier and hadn't bothered to call me and let me know that he was here. _Fucking jerk_.

"Nice of you to let me know," I snarled.

"Chill out babe. Jacob said he'd drop me off at your place in an hour. We've all week to catch up."

I hung up, pissed off. Sometimes, Laurent was such a fucking prick. An hour later, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and saw Laurent standing there, shivering. I motioned him in, and moments later, I was wrapped up in a tight hug. I was still ticked at him, but I returned his hug. He went to kiss me, but I ducked it.

"Ah, c'mon babe. Don't be like that," he whined.

"Excuse me. Be like what?"

"Like this. I just wanted to surprise you," he pleaded. I rolled my eyes, but forgave him. He was constantly doing stuff like that. He meant well, but often did things without thinking them through.

This time when he went to kiss me, I let him. Warm lips pressed against mine, his tongue tracing over my lips, begging for entrance. I granted it, and his tongue swept in, tangling with me. Minutes of passionate kisses ensued, before we broke off, both needing to breath. We spent the night catching up, then sexing it up. I'd love to say that Laurent was fantastic in bed, but I'd be lying. He wasn't bad, just not fantastic.

The following morning, Jake was planning on taking Laurent into Seattle, to check out a small tattoo convention that was going on. I was going to be manning the shop with Seth. Stepping out onto my porch, I gave Laurent a kiss goodbye, watching as he climbed into Jake's truck. I spied Edward getting ready to head to work, so I threw a wave his way. He waved back, but he looked so sad. Like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I wondered what could possibly be bothering him. In the short time that I'd known Edward, I'd come to care for him. I couldn't explain it, but there it was. I stood on my porch until Edward was out of sight, then I headed in and began to get ready for my day. Fifteen minutes later, I headed out the door. I had just pulled up to the intersection between Blackberry Avenue and Division Street, when I saw an ambulance at the corner. I watched as the paramedics began to lift a stretcher into the ambulance, and noticed in horror as I saw a familiar head of bronze hair. _Oh, shit!_ Something had happened to Edward. A small crowd of people had gathered around, I got out of my truck and approached the first person I saw.

"What happened?"

The elderly woman barely glanced my way as she replied, "He got hit by a car."

_How the fuck could she be so fucking calm?_ "Is he going to be okay?"

She nodded her head. "I'm sure Edward will be fine, dear. They're taking him to Forks Community if you want to visit him."

I couldn't understand how she could be so calm about this. She reached over and patted my shoulder with a wrinkled hand. "Edward's a bit clumsy. This town has seen him have many accidents. He has his own bed at the hospital," she cackled.

Taking a deep breath, I figured that if this woman wasn't too worried about him, then surely he would be fine. My phone began to ring, and I pulled it out, noticing that it was Seth.

"Sorry, Seth! I'm running a bit late."

He let out a sigh. "I was worried that maybe something had happened to you."

I explained that there was an accident and that Edward had gotten hurt.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I think so. According to this woman I talked to, he's accident prone, and seeing him rushed off to the hospital is practically an everyday occurrence."

I hung up the phone, climbed back into The Beast, and continued to work. I had a few appointments, then we had a few college kids come in and browse around, debating on whether or not to get tattooed. By the time lunch rolled around, I was anxious to find out if Edward was okay. Realizing that I didn't have a number to reach him at, I wasn't sure who to call, so I called the library and asked to speak with Jasper.

"Hello?"

"Jasper? This is Bella. Bella Swan. We met the other day."

He let out a chuckle. "Hello, Bella. What can I do for you?"

"Uh ... I heard that Edward got hit by a car today. Is he okay?"

"Hit by a car? Did you talk to Mrs. Riley? Old lady in her 90's, crazy white hair?"

"Sounds like her."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "That woman. She always over-exaggerates. He wasn't hit by a car; he was almost hit by one. He slipped on a patch of ice, fell off the curb, and hit his head. He's going to be fine though. A few stitches, a major headache, but he's fine."

I sighed in relief. "I'm glad to hear that he's going to be okay."

We chatted for a few more minutes, setting up an appointment for him and Alice on Saturday morning. I relayed the good news regarding Edward to Seth, then spent the rest of the day doing inventory. Before closing, Jake showed up with Laurent in tow. On the way home, Laurent spent the whole time talking about the expo and how he'd run into old friends there.

"Man, can't believe that I ran into Irina and Tanya. They're awesome. Did I ever introduce you to them?"

"Not that I know of."

"Huh. Well, you should meet them. They're sisters and they own a shop in New York called Denali's. It's very high end. Not like that dump that you're working at."

Stopping at a red light, I turned and gave him a glare. "Eclipse isn't a dump."

Rolling his eyes at me, he mutters, "whatever."

I pulled into my driveway, climbed out, and stomped my way up the porch. Unlocking the door, I tossed my keys in a bowl, then headed into the kitchen to grab a beer.

"What the hell is your problem, babe?"

I spun around, not believing that he just asked me that. "Are you fucking kidding me? Did you not just call Eclipse a dump?"

"Well it is. Now, Denali ... that place is fucking sweet. They actually have a client base. I don't understand why the fuck you left New Moon to come here. Then again, New Moon isn't that great a place either. I hated telling people that you worked there. Hell, I hated working there."

"Well, excuse me," I said sarcastically. "I didn't realize that I was such a fucking embarrassment."

"That's not what I said. But, God, Bella. You could do so much better. Irina and Tanya offered me a spot at Denali. I'll be moving to New York at the end of the month. I want you to come with me."

My brain could barely process what he was going on about. I held up a hand to silence him, when he started to talk. "Let me get this straight. You come out here to visit me, go to an expo in Seattle where you meet up with some old friends, decide to move to New York, insult me and the place I work, and now you want me to move to New York after just moving here."

He tugged on one of his dreadlocks before meeting my gaze. "I just want us to be together, babe."

I arched a brow. "Really? Well, I'm not moving to New York. Why don't you move here and work at Eclipse?"

He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to work at that dump. Plus, it's too fucking cold here."

I looked at him incredulously. "Oh, and New York is so much warmer? What the fuck ever."

"You know what, Bella? This just isn't going to work. I can't do this."

"Can't do what?"

"This," he said, gesturing between us.

"This long distance crap isn't working. I refuse to move here to bumfuck nowhere, and I would never work at Eclipse. Maybe we should just call it quits. It was good while it lasted."

I was floored. He was breaking up with me because I didn't want to move to New York? If that was what he wanted, fine. "Okay."

He seemed a bit shocked by my response. "Okay? That's it. That's all you've got to say?"

"What would you like me to say? You don't want to move here, I don't want to move to New York, and apparently our long distance relationship isn't working. We're probably better off apart."

The next day, I drove him to Seattle to drop him off at the airport. After our "break up", he managed to trade in his ticket and get a flight out today. I knew that I should be more upset than I was, but I wasn't. I guess that was a sign that we weren't meant to be together. Once I arrived back home, several hours later, I decided to see how Edward was doing. I climbed the steps to his porch, frowning at how slick they were. He really needed to salt them, or he was going to end up back in the ER. I knocked on his door, hoping that he was home.

"Bella?"

"Hi, Edward. I just wanted to see how you were feeling. I heard about your accident yesterday."

He gestured for me to come inside, where he took my coat and hung it on a coat rack. Taking a look around his living room, I was amazed at the immaculate cleanliness of it. My living room looked like a disaster area compared to his. I held out the container of homemade potato soup that I'd made for him.

He took it from me, with a surprised look on his face. "Thank you. You didn't have to make me anything."

"I know. But I figured with your headache and all, you probably wouldn't be up to cooking," I said smiling.

"Thanks again," he said, quietly. While he took the soup into his kitchen, I made myself at home on his couch.

It was quite warm in his house, so I pushed the sleeves of my shirt up. "Wow. You really are tattooed," came a gasp from behind me. I turned around and saw Edward standing behind the couch, eyes fixated on my arms.

"Doesn't that hurt?" he asked, sitting down on the couch next to me.

"A bit. It's more of a pleasure pain." I shook my head. "It's hard to explain. Anyway, how are you?"

"Oh ... I'm ... I'm fine," he stuttered out. Once again, nerves seemed to kick in.

"Edward? Do I make you nervous?"

I watched him turn a bright red, and saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "It's not just you. I ... uh ... have a hard time talking to girls. Women!" he quickly corrected.

"Why?" I asked, insanely curious.

He shrugged. "I'm a nerd. A loser."

"Being a nerd doesn't make you a loser."

He barked out a laugh. "Yeah, right."

"I was a nerd in school."

His mouth fell open. "I kid you not. I love to read. I devoured books. I still do. I got decent grades and was a bit on the quiet side myself."

"What happened?"

"I got a job in college working as a receptionist at a tattoo parlor. I started to come out of my shell a bit, and once I started tattooing, I knew that I'd found my place in the world. There's nothing wrong with you," I assured him.

He nodded his head thoughtfully. "I guess. My brother's always making fun of me. I know he doesn't do it to be mean, but sometimes it still hurts. I can't be who I'm not."

"Nor should you have to be. Just wait. One day that perfect girl's going to come along and she won't be able to resist you."

He gave me a shy smile. "I hope so."

Realizing that it was getting late, we said goodbye, and I headed back to my place. That night, I laid in bed, thinking about everything that had happened. Laurent was gone for good, off to New York to do bigger and better things, and maybe Irina and Tanya too. I couldn't find it in myself to really care. I was more worried about the quiet man next door. If only he could see his potential. Any girl would be lucky to have him, and that thought made me frown. I didn't know why it bothered me to think about Edward finding a girlfriend.

* * *

><p>an: Okay, so I've never written alternate POV's in the same story. My biggest fear with doing so is that it's going to repeat too much. I'm trying not to let that happen. Let me know if it worked or if you liked it. If you like it then I'll keep it. If not, I'll go back to just Edward's POV. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.

A/N: So, I'm posting this a day early, mainly because Sunday will be spent having an all day gaming marathon. And by gaming marathon, I mean, playing D&D for about 12 hours. Maybe longer. Yes, I am a nerd and not afraid to admit it. I'm blown away by the response that I've gotten for this story. I honestly didn't think anyone would really like it, so thank you so much for your reviews!

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

"A man's library is a sort of harem." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, _The Conduct of Life_

**EPOV**

_Holy crap, _my head hurt. Reaching up to touch it, my hand was grabbed and pulled back down to my side.

"You took a nasty header into the concrete. We're taking you to the hospital," came a gentle voice to my right. Turning my head slightly, I noticed a young man in an EMT uniform. I was a bit confused. Then I remembered that I'd slipped on the sidewalk and fallen. I groaned in embarrassment when I realized that I was on a stretcher and that a crowd of people had gathered.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I was greeted by my dad. I let out a sigh, as he walked with me to get my head scanned. Once it was determined that I didn't have any major head trauma, my cut was stitched up, and I was released. Dad called Mrs. Cope and let her know what had happened, then he drove me home. My head hurt so much, that even reading didn't appeal to me. At around four o'clock, Mrs. Cope called me and told me to take tomorrow off as well. I didn't even argue, which was proof of how badly my head ached. I laid down on my couch, turned some classical music on, and was out like a light before I knew it.

I woke up the next morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. My head hurt horribly and the ringing of my phone only added to it. Scowling at the offensive item, I grabbed it and silenced the call. I noticed that I had several missed calls, and four texts. All from my sister.

_Are you okay?_

_Dad said you got hurt._

_Why haven't you answered your phone?_

_Call me!_

She was so annoying. I shot off a quick text letting her know that I was okay, but that I wasn't up to talking. I downed a few aspirin and curled up on my couch, loosing myself, watching _Doctor Who_ reruns. By early evening, I was feeling a bit better. I had just got up to make some dinner, when I heard a knocking on my door. I really hoped it wasn't Alice. I wasn't sure I could handle her at the moment. Imagine my surprise when I opened it, and found Bella standing there.

"Bella?"

"Hi, Edward. I just wanted to see how you were feeling. I heard about your accident yesterday."

My face went up in flames. _Great_. Now she knew exactly how much of a klutz I was. I stood back to allow her in, taking a quick glance around to make sure the place was clean. I took her coat and hung it up on the rack beside the door. Taking a good look at her, I saw a tattoo on her neck. It was tribal-like, with a bunch of different colored hibiscus flowers. It was quite pretty. It was then I noticed that she was carrying a container, which she then held out to me.

"Thank you. You didn't have to make me anything," I said, surprised that she'd done so.

"I know. But I figured with your headache and all, you probably wouldn't be up to cooking."

She was amazing. "Thanks again," I said. I took the soup into the kitchen and stuck it in the fridge. I headed back into the living room and watched as she looked around, then sat down on my couch. I liked the way she looked sitting there. She had just pushed up the sleeves of her shirt, and I saw them. Lots and lots of colored tattoos all over her arms.

"Wow. You really are tattooed," I squeaked out. She flashed me a grin. "Doesn't that hurt?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

"A bit. It's more of a pleasure pain. It's hard to explain. Anyway, how are you?"

"Oh ... I'm ... I'm fine," I stuttered out, blushing the whole time.

She leaned in close to me, making eye contact. "Edward? Do I make you nervous?"

_Oh, God. Kill me now._ She knew. She knew what a total failure I was around girls. Flushing, I swallowed hard before answering her. "It's not just you. I ... uh ... have a hard time talking to girls. Women!"

"Why?"

_Was she blind? What did she mean why? _"I'm a nerd. A loser."

"Being a nerd doesn't make you a loser."

I barked out a laugh. "Yeah, right."

"I was a nerd in school."

I was sure I was gaping like a fish. There was no way Bella Swan was a nerd in high school. Women like her were not nerds. She went on to explain that she loved to read and devoured books. When I asked her what changed, she told me it was working at a tattoo shop that changed her. Made her come out of her shell. She was quick to reassure me that there was nothing wrong with me. I scoffed. Emmett was constantly making fun of me, and I tried not to let it bother me, but it did. I told Bella that I couldn't change who I was.

"Nor should you have to. Just wait. One day, that perfect girl's going to come along and she won't be able to resist you."

I wanted to tell her that she was wrong. That the perfect girl had already come along, and sadly, she was doing a pretty good job resisting me.

"I hope so."

Realizing that it was getting late, Bella excused herself to head back to her house. She warned me to be careful walking to work, and to make sure and salt my steps, as they were a bit icy. I shut the door after her, and found myself amazed that I had managed to hold a conversation with her. If I just thought of her as a friend, the same she did me, then it should be fine. I gave a nod. That's what I would do. Treat her as a friend, a sister, even. No point in moaning over what would never be mine.

My week passed by quickly, and I only saw Bella a handful of times. It was Friday afternoon, and I hoped that she would stop by. I was going over a silent conversation in my head that I could have with her, when this kid of around eight came up to check out. I looked around for his parents, but didn't see them.

"'Scuse me. I'd like to check these out."

"Do you have your card?" I asked him.

He nodded and dug it out of his pocket, handing it to me. I scanned it and noticed the kid had a fine of thirty five dollars. Looking at the bill, I noticed most of the billed items were adult related. I hated when parents did that. They checked out material on their kid's card and ran up a bill. I explained to the kid that he couldn't check anything out. To my horror, his eyes started to well up with tears, and then he let out a wail to rival a banshee. A teenage girl came running over and asked what was wrong. I explained the situation to her, then checked her card. Geez. A fifty-two dollar fine on hers. She told the kid they needed to head home since they couldn't check anything out, but he wasn't having it. I watched as he threw himself on the floor, hands and feet flying, tears pouring out of his eyes, wails erupting from his mouth. I couldn't decide whether to laugh at him or cry along. I truly felt bad for the kid, but there was nothing I could do. Finally, they left and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Really, Edward? I never pictured you as the kind to make kids cry," an angel's voice said to me.

I glanced over and saw Bella walking toward me. She was stunning, as usual. Her long brown hair was tucked underneath a knit cap, her coat unbuttoned, showing off a sweater that hugged her figure. And it was a very nice figure. _No, Edward! Stop. You mustn't think of her like that._

"Ah, well ... I do enjoy terrorizing children for the fun of it," I told her jokingly. She let out a laugh that sounded like music. She leaned on the counter about to say something, when her phone rang.

"Sorry!" she apologized.

I waved it off. She let out a sigh before silencing it.

"Laurent. My boyfriend. Well, my ex-boyfriend, as of earlier this week."

"Ex-boyfriend?"

She looked a bit sad, and I wanted to reach out and hug her, comfort her, somehow.

"Yeah. He's off to bigger and better things." She let out a harsh laugh. "Off to do bigger and better girls, I should say."

I had no idea what to say to that. The guy was an idiot to give up Bella. She was beautiful, intelligent, kind. If she was my girl, I'd never let her go.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing I could think to say.

She gave me a small smile, telling me it was okay. We chatted for a few minutes, before we were interrupted.

"Oh, my God! You must be Bella! It's so wonderful to meet you! I just know that we're going to be the best of friends," the whirlwind that was my sister, claimed, as she wrapped Bella up in a hug.

Bella stood there, a bit stunned, before sending me a pleading look.

Walking around the desk, I tugged Alice away from her. "Alice, we've talked about this. You can't just go up to people and hug them. It's scary."

Alice rolled her eyes at me, while poor Bella looked a bit bewildered.

"Sorry, Bella. This is my sister, Alice. She's a bit of a handful."

"I am not!"

I raised an eyebrow at her outraged tone. She was acting like a spoiled child, instead of the twenty year old that she was. She gave me a pout, then turned back to Bella.

"I'm sorry if I came on too strong. It's just that I've heard so much about you. Both from Edward and Jasper."

"Uh ... it's okay. So, you and Jasper are coming into the shop tomorrow morning, right?"

Alice nodded. "I'm so excited!"

I shook my head. "Are you really getting a tattoo?"

"Yup. You're coming with," she told me.

I knew better than to argue. Alice made plans to pick me up in the morning, and after she and Jasper got their tattoos, we'd all go out to lunch.

* * *

><p>Before I knew it, Saturday morning arrived, and Alice was knocking on my door, telling me to hurry up. I climbed into the backseat of Jasper's SUV, and we were off to Port Angeles. Alice spent the whole ride talking about what kind of tattoo she was going to get, and where she was going to get it. I wasn't particularly interested in what she had to say, so I spent the ride tuning her out, wishing that I'd thought to bring a book with me.<p>

We pulled up to an older building on the corner. There was a sign above the door with an eclipse as the background, and the neon words Eclipse Tattoo glowing from it. The windows of the shop showcased their hours, phone number, and different pictures of tattoos. I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd been subjected to a few episodes of _L.A. Ink_ with Emmett, but I highly doubted I'd find a skate ramp inside. Then again, maybe I would. I just hoped that it was clean and sanitary. Although, I couldn't picture Bella working in a place that wasn't.

Once Jasper parked the car, I climbed out of it slowly. I stared at the building, with a bit of trepidation, before following Jasper and Alice inside. I was amazed at what I saw upon entering. It was nothing like I thought it would be. There was a counter to our right, which housed a cash register and several binders. Across from the counter, there was a black leather couch, a love seat, and a coffee table with more binders. The walls were white, with pictures of tattoos framed artistically. I was quite impressed. It was very well done. Behind the counter, sat a very large Native American man.

"Morning. Can I help you?" he asked in a slightly gruff voice. He was very intimidating. Much like Emmett. His black hair was pulled back, his short sleeve shirt showing off the tattoos that covered his arms. Jacob Black. That was his name. I'd met him a few times over the years, but never really hung out with him.

"Yup! My boyfriend and I have an appointment with Bella," Alice told him.

"Ah. You must be Alice. Bells told me you were coming in."

I frowned at his familiarity with Bella. He called her Bells. I didn't like that. Her name was beautiful. There was no need to change it. Jacob hollered for Bella. A few minutes later, she came out from the back area. She was wearing a pair of form fitting jeans and a t-shirt that showed off a bit of her midriff. My gaze was drawn to the silver swan that pierced her navel, and I found myself oddly attracted to it. Good lord, what was wrong with me? I was being turned on by piercings and tattoos. That wasn't like me at all. Pulling my gaze away from her belly button, my eyes traveled upwards taking in the artwork on the canvas that was her arms. I'd seen a bit of it the other night, but seeing them on display, was shocking. My breath caught as I saw the tattoo on the upper part of her left arm. It bore a tattoo of a 1950's pinup girl, sitting on a desk, reading a book. The words _Reading is sexy_ was written underneath.

"Do you like it?" she asked me, her voice a bit husky.

Lifting my eyes away from it, I looked into her beautiful brown eyes. "Yes. Very much so."

"Oh, man! I'd never thought I'd see the day when Eddie actually liked a tattoo, much less a tattooed chick," a voice boomed from behind me.

I let out a groan. Emmett had arrived. Which meant Rosalie was here as well. She and I didn't get along at all. She constantly pushed my buttons, intentionally making me upset. I didn't understand why she did it.

Emmett walked over to me, threw his arm around me, and stuck a hand out to Bella. "I'm Emmett Cullen. This stunning blond is my wife, Rosalie."

Bella shook his hand, then Rosalie's. "It's nice to meet you both."

Alice chose that moment to let herself be known. "Bella! I'm so excited! I can't wait to get this done!" she squealed throwing herself at Bella.

Gently, Bella peeled Alice off of her. "Did you have too much caffeine this morning?"

We all laughed at that. "Alice is naturally hyper," I told her.

Alice pouted, explaining to Bella that she wasn't hyper. Just super excited. Bella showed the four of them the binders that were sitting around and told them to look through them and see if there was something they liked.

"Or, if you have a design in mind, I can draw it up for you. Just let me know. Do you want anything to drink? We have tea, coffee, and soda."

I asked for a tea, while the others accepted coffee. "Tea? Dude, you're twenty-three, not seventy-three."

"Be quiet, Emmett. I like to drink tea. There's nothing wrong with it. Men worldwide drink tea."

"You really are like an old man. You drink tea, wear tweed, and lock yourself up with your books," Rose said, feeling the need to add her two cents.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion," I told her, snidely.

"Too fucking bad. You really need to loosen up. It's no wonder you're still a virgin."

Heat rose on my cheeks, as anger burned in my eyes. She had no right to say that. "What I am is none of your business!" I hissed at her.

Emmett grabbed Rosalie's arm, pulled her over to a corner, talking to her in a hushed whisper. I was beyond mortified, because there was no way that Bella or Jacob hadn't heard that. I buried my face in my hands, wishing I was anywhere but here.

"Hey. Here's your tea," Bella told me quietly. I took the mug from her hands, not looking up. I didn't want to see the pity in her eyes.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Thankfully, she turned her attention to Alice and Jasper. After flipping through the books, Jasper asked Bella if she couldn't draw him up something.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, darlin, I'm originally from Texas, and while I love it up here, I miss home. I don't necessarily want the state of Texas tattooed on my body, but rather something that reminds me of home."

Telling him to give her a few minutes, Bella headed to the back of the shop. Emmett and Rosalie came back over and sat down. With some prodding from Emmett, Rosalie said to me, "sorry, Edward."

I didn't bother to look up from the binder I was staring at. She didn't mean it. I shrugged and continued to ignore her. It was childish, but frankly, I didn't care. She could be a real witch, and I didn't understand what Emmett saw in her. Or anyone else for that matter. The family seemed to like her, but not me.

A few minutes later, Bella came back, and she had a sketch book with her. She showed Jasper what she'd drawn, then showed it the rest of us. It was an outline of a Texas longhorn head, colored in with the Texas state flag. It was really nice. Jasper loved it, and decided to get it placed on his upper arm. Alice had found an _Alice in Wonderland_ tattoo that she wanted out of one of the binders. She'd been obsessed with that book since she read it. She was going to get a tattoo of the white rabbit, and have it put on her back near her right shoulder. Bella and Jacob quickly got to work prepping, and before long, Alice and Jasper were called back.

I sat there in stifled silence with Emmett and Rosalie, listening to the quiet chatter that was coming from the back. Flipping through the binder in front of me, I was startled to come across a picture of a book tattooed on someone. It was very simple. A closed book, with the page marked by a simple red string. The cover of the book said _Read_. Staring at it, I thought that if I was ever to get a tattoo, it would be something like that. Realizing what I'd just thought, I was completely shocked. Why in the world was I even entertaining that notion? That wasn't me. I wasn't a tattoo kind of guy. I was a simple man, with simple taste. Except when it came to Bella. Bella was anything but simple.

An hour and a half later, Jasper and Alice came out of the back, sporting large grins. They showed us their tattoos, before Bella covered them with ointment and gauze. She gave them a lecture about tattoo safety, as well as a pamphlet. After they paid, Alice invited both Bella and Jacob to lunch with us. They agreed, and soon the seven of us headed to Applebees.

As our waitress seated us, I realized that I was the odd man out. Bella and Jacob were sitting next to each other, and I was jealous. Throughout lunch, Jacob would touch her hand or her back. He even twirled her hair. I was used to jealousy, but I'd never felt it like that. It was as if there was a monster in my chest, aching to break free. When he leaned over and planted a kiss on her lips, I had to excuse myself from the table. In the bathroom, my mind was furiously working through everything I knew about Bella. She had told me that she and her boyfriend had broken up, and I wondered if Jacob was the reason why. They seemed very comfortable around each other, and he kissed her! Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. There was no reason to be jealous. Bella and I were just friends. That's all we were ever going to be.

After lunch, we said goodbye to Emmett, Rosalie, Bella, and Jacob. Alice talked non-stop the whole way home about anything and everything. She tired me out with all of her talking.

"Want to come over and hang out?" Jasper asked me as we reached the Forks city limits.

I shook my head. I was tired of Alice's endless chatter, and I wanted to wallow in my self-pity. They dropped me off at home, and I let myself inside. I killed an hour cleaning my house, then settled down with the _Game of Thrones_. Jasper had given it to me, thinking I might like it. It was okay. Apparently, it was made into a show on HBO, and was all the rave. I did my best to lose myself in the story, but I couldn't. My thoughts kept going back to Bella. I was a pathetic, love sick fool. Clearly, I needed help, but had no idea who to ask. If I went to Emmett, he'd just laugh at me, then tell me that getting laid would solve my problems. If I told Jasper, he'd tell Alice, who would take over and play matchmaker. I couldn't call my mom because she'd pull an Alice, and freak out. There was only one person left to call. My dad.

"Hi, Son."

"Hi, Dad."

Dad, being the intuitive person that he was, knew something was up. "What's wrong?"

I ran a hand over my face. God, I was such a loser. Whining to my dad because I liked the popular girl. I was pretty sure we'd had this conversation before, when I was in junior high.

"I ... ugh! Okay ..." I began, taking a deep breath. "It's like this. I really, really like Bella Swan, the new girl in town that was mentioned at brunch last week. The thing is. She's so far out of my reach and league, it isn't funny. She's a tattoo artist! She's pierced and tattooed and confident. And there's no way in a million years, she'd ever like a guy like me. What the heck am I going to do?"

"Edward. Listen to me. There is nothing wrong with you. I hate that you constantly put yourself down. You're a brilliant young man. You just lack confidence. No one is out of your reach or your league. You need to believe in yourself. If Miss Swan can't see you for the wonderful person you are, then you're better off without her."

I rolled my eyes. We'd had similar conversations over the years. I knew that I lacked self-esteem. It was kind of hard to be confident when I was surrounded by siblings like Emmett and Alice. Emmett was the golden boy, all-star athlete. Alice, the beautiful, talented, confident all-American girl.

"Yeah, I know. I can barely talk to her without stuttering or tripping over my words. It doesn't really matter though. I think she's dating Jacob Black."

Dad barked out a laugh. "I highly doubt that."

"What makes you say that?'

"Jacob's gay."

Well, I felt like an idiot.

"Edward, son. The only advice I can give you is what I told you before. Just believe in yourself. Be yourself. Once you do that, the confidence will come, and you'll have no problems talking to her."

I sighed and agreed. We talked for a few more minutes, before hanging up. I went back to my book and managed to get into it. At around seven, I noticed Bella pulling into her drive. I grabbed the Tupperware container she'd given me the other night, then waited a few minutes, before heading over to her house. I knocked on her door, giving myself a mental pep talk the whole time.

"Edward!"

I gave her a small, nervous smile. "Hi, Bella. I ... uh ... wanted to return this to you," I said, holding out the container.

"Thanks. Why don't you come in?"

Swallowing hard, I agreed and followed her inside. _Wow_. Her living room was a bit disorganized. There were magazines and books all over the place, not too mention nick knacks that were placed here and there.

"Sorry. It's a bit of a mess," she said sheepishly, flashing me a grin.

I shrugged. "That's alright. I'll try and refrain from cleaning."

She let out a snicker. "Feel free to come over and clean anytime you want. I hate cleaning."

She cleared off a space on the couch and told me to sit. She sat down next to me, and I inhaled the sent of her shampoo. Strawberry. I liked strawberries.

"How bored were you today?"

"Oh. Not too awfully much. I spent most of the time looking through the pictures in the binders."

"Oh, yeah? Any tats catch your eye?"

I couldn't lie worth anything, so I told her the truth. "One did, actually. There was a picture of a book in there, and I thought that if I ever got a tattoo, it would be something like that."

She smiled. "I could see that. Something simple and clean." I nodded. "Well, if you ever decide to get one, I want to be the one to do it."

I readily agreed. I wouldn't let just anyone with a needle near me. There were a few moments of awkward silence, until I blurted out, "Want to come to the family brunch with me tomorrow?"

_Oh, man. _What was wrong with me? My head thumped on the couch, eyes closed as if that would make things less embarrassing. Cracking an eye open, I noticed Bella looked as stunned as I did.

"Don't worry about! You don't have to. Sorry, I'll ... just go now," I rushed out, getting up and starting toward the door.

A hand on my arm stopped me. "Wait, Edward. It's not that I wouldn't like to, but I don't want to intrude on your family time."

"You wouldn't be. Besides, Rosalie will be there, and I might need you to save me from her."

She put her hand in mine and tugged me back to the couch. I held back a moan of disappointment when she removed her hand from mine.

"Is Rosalie always like that?"

"Like what? Rude and abrasive? Yes," I snorted out.

"I don't like her. She had no right to say those things about you," she told me, a frown marring her beautiful face.

"I'm used to it. Ever since Emmett brought her home, she's let me know how much she dislikes me. The thing is, I don't know why she doesn't like me. We just rub each other the wrong way, I guess."

"That still doesn't give her the right to pick on you or blurt your business to the world."

And that right there was confirmation that she'd heard what Rosalie had said about me. Yes, I was a virgin, and now the whole world knew it.

"Yeah, well, try telling her that. Mom and Dad love her. Think she's so sweet, but the minute their back is turned, she's back in witch mode."

"You mean bitch mode?"

I shrugged. "Same thing."

"You're very much the gentleman, aren't you?"

"Is that a bad thing?"

She smiled. "Not at all. It's quite refreshing. So many of the guys our age are complete asses. Sorry. Jerks."

"You don't have to correct yourself around me. I don't care if you swear. Well, as long as you don't swear every other word. Don't change who you are."

Now if only I could take my own advice.

"Deal. So what time is brunch tomorrow?"

A smile graced my lips. "Meet me at my car around ten-thirty."

"Sounds good."

Saying goodnight, I walked back to my house. Once in the door, it hit me what I'd just done. I had asked Bella Swan to Sunday brunch! I was ecstatic, elated, and then horror set in. What the hell had I done? Mom and Alice would be all over me and begin their matchmaking, while Emmett would, most likely, make inappropriate comments and gestures. Climbing into bed, I buried my face in my pillow. Tomorrow morning was going to be interesting, to say the least. I just hoped that by the time we left, Bella would still be talking to me.

* * *

><p>an: Leave me some love. Or hate. Preferably, love. As always, your reviews are appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: If I owned it, there would have been smut. Since there wasn't, I guess I don't own it.

A/N: So glad that everyone seems to be enjoying the story! Thank you for reading and for reviewing. Makes my day seeing those reviews. Big thanks to Chylex28 for corrected all of my grammatical crap.

**Design For Life**

"The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who have tattoos, and those who are afraid of people with tattoos." ~Author Unknown

**BOV**

Sunday morning, I woke up at around eight. I was nervous, and a bit terrified, of what brunch would bring. I had been completely shocked when Edward asked me. Of course, once he realized what he'd done, he tried to backpedal and tell me not to worry about it. I had a feeling that was the first time that Edward asked a girl anywhere. I had shocked myself when I told him I'd go, but the look on his face was priceless. He'd gotten a huge smile on his face when I'd agreed. Now, however, I was regretting saying yes. Family brunch seemed a bit, intimate. I knew that Alice and Emmett would be there, which meant that Jasper and Rosalie would most likely be there as well. I didn't have a problem with Jasper, but I wasn't sure how I felt about the rest of them.

Meeting Alice on Friday had been ... interesting. She was something else, and I couldn't decide if that was good or bad. I had walked into the library, teasing Edward about making some kid cry, when my phone had rung. Once I saw it was Laurent, I shut it off, and felt the need to tell Edward that it was my ex. I wasn't sure why it was so important to me that he knew I was single. Did I like Edward? Sure. Was he cute? You bet. Was I falling for him? Nope. Not at all. No way. Not my type. We were friends. That was all. Not a few minutes later, I was assaulted by a tiny woman. She'd thrown her arms around me, hugging me, and rambling on and on about something. I hated it when strangers got familiar with me, and I'd sent Edward a plea for help. He'd pried her off of me and explained to her that she couldn't go around hugging people.

She was like a hyperactive child that someone mistakenly fed sugar to. It was a bit much to take, and I eventually excused myself to hunt down some books. I had walked by the Local History room and noticed old Mrs. Riley, ogling Jasper's ass, as he bent over to get a book for her. I couldn't really fault her. He did have a nice ass. He stood up and gave me a friendly smile when he saw me.

"Hey, Bella."

"Hi, Jasper. How goes it?"

Rolling his eyes, and nodding his head in Mrs. Riley's direction, he said, "It goes. Did you meet Alice yet? She's been dying to meet you."

"Yeah, I met her. She's ... something else."

He snickered. "That she is, but I love her to death."

I could see how Jasper and Alice fit together. He was the calm to her hurricane. I found it hard to believe that she and Edward were related. He was so quiet and shy, and she was very outgoing. Then, there was Emmett. I didn't really have an opinion of him yet. I'd only met him on Saturday, when he and his wife had shown up at the shop. He did seem to enjoy picking on Edward a bit. Rosalie, on the other hand, was a raging bitch. I had been surprised to hear her comments to Edward. When I'd pierced her nip a week earlier, she was fine. Polite, if not a bit distant. But I was floored by what I heard from her at the shop on Saturday.

I had offered them drinks, and wasn't surprised at all, when Edward asked for tea. Of course, that had led to Emmett teasing him, and then Rosalie had felt the need to jump in as well. So what if he drank tea or wore tweed? That didn't make him an old man at all. It made me think of a hot professor. I was glad to hear Edward telling her to butt out. I was afraid that he'd let her walk all over him. It had taken everything in me, not to bitch slap her, when she'd outed him in the shop. Sure, we weren't busy. However, it was no one's business, but Edward's, if he was a virgin.

I'd returned, giving them their drinks, and doing my best to act like I hadn't heard anything. Edward had a hard enough time being around me, and I didn't want to alienate him even further. Taking the spotlight off of him, I asked Jasper and Alice if they knew what they wanted. Once we'd figured out what they wanted, I took them into the back.

I sat Jasper down in the chair and explained to him what I was going to do. I swabbed his upper arm with some soap and water, then transferred the stencil that I'd made onto his arm. After he agreed that it would look good there, I set out the ink. We'd gone with red, white, blue, and black. I poured the ink into the ink caps, then opened the sterile packages that contained the needles and tubes, placing them into the tattoo gun. I had just started outlining the tat, when I realized that he was holding his breath.

"Jasper, you need to breath. Can't have you passing out on me."

"Sorry," he said through gritted teeth.

Finally, being done with the outline, I began to shade and color it in, so that it looked like the Texas flag. Not too much later, we were done. I applied some ointment to it, placed some gauze over it, and lectured him on taking care of it. I then turned to Alice.

"You ready?'

"Yep!"

I cleaned up my space, replacing the needles and tubes, and got the new ink ready. She had decided on a white rabbit, to be placed on her back, near her right shoulder. She spent the whole time talking to me. She told me all about her and Jasper and how they'd met. She then proceeded to tell me all about Edward.

"He's always been shy, you know. It was way worse once we hit high school. His junior year, we got a new student. Her name was Jessica, and she was immediately popular. Poor Edward crushed on her so hard, but she treated him like dirt. She and her boyfriend, Mike, would terrorize him. They made his life hell. It wasn't until his senior year, that he even got a girlfriend. She was nice, I guess. Real quiet, just like him. They didn't last too long. That was five years ago, and he hasn't dated since."

While I was fascinated, and itching to know more about Edward, I couldn't let her go on. I felt like we were gossiping about him, and that wasn't fair to him. If he wanted me to know any of this, he would tell me himself. Once done, we all ended up going out to lunch. It was awkward. Especially, since Jacob wouldn't stop touching me. I wasn't sure what he was playing at, and I called him on it later.

"Aw, c'mon Bells. I was just having fun."

"You were making Edward uncomfortable."

Jake had rolled his eyes at me. "The boy was jealous. I could tell. He wants you bad."

Then it was my turn to roll my eyes. I wasn't so sure about that. Then again, here I was, getting ready to go to brunch with Edward and his family. At ten-thirty, there was a knock on my door. I opened the door and found a very cute, very nervous Edward on my porch.

"Good mo... morning, Bella."

"Morning, Edward. Did you want to come in?"

He shook his head. "We should go. Brunch is at eleven sharp. Mom gets mad if we're late."

With that, we walked out of my house, and headed to his Volvo. His nice, sensible, shiny, immaculately clean, Volvo. He would probably have a heart attack if he sat in the Beast. The ride to his parent's house was quiet, but not awkward. Fifteen minutes later, we turned onto a private driveway, hidden in the woods. As his parent's house came into view, I let out a gasp.

"Holy, shit!"

Edward gave me a small smile. "It's something, isn't it?"

I could only nod. Their house was stunning. Three stories, gray stone, with huge windows. It was magnificent. We parked, and Edward rushed over to open my door. Apparently, chivalry wasn't dead. Thanking him, I followed him up the steps, and was greeted at the front door by a beautiful woman. She had Edward's eyes, and light auburn hair.

"Good morning, my son."

"Morning, Mom. This is Bella. Bella, this is my mother, Esme."

I stuck out my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen."

She took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It's wonderful to meet you, Bella. And call me Esme. Won't you come in? We're just waiting on Emmett and Rosalie."

I followed Esme into the house, and was blown away by it all. It was so pristine. I could see where Edward got his cleanliness from. Esme gestured me into, what had to be, the formal dining room. A handsome older man was setting places at the table.

"Carlisle, dear. Come meet Edward's Bella."

Edward flushed and was quick to correct his mom. "Mom!" he hissed at her. "She isn't mine."

I pretended not to hear what was being said, and focused my gaze on the man standing in front of me. Mr. Cullen was _hot_. There were no other words to describe it. He held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella."

"You as well, Mr. Cullen," I said, shaking his hand.

"Dr. Cullen," Edward whispered to me. _Well, fuck. _I'd gone and made my an ass out of myself.

"Sorry. Dr. Cullen."

His blue eyes twinkled, dimples appearing as he flashed me a big smile. I was instantly reminded of Emmett.

"Call me Carlisle."

A few minutes later, Emmett came booming into the dining room, followed by Rosalie. She was dressed to the nines.

"Good morning, Esme. Carlisle," she said in a sickly sweet voice. His parents greeted her with smiles and hugs, seemingly oblivious to her fakeness. Esme and Carlisle headed into the kitchen, with Emmett following. Once we were alone, she turned and gave me an insincere smile.

"Bella. How nice to see you? What brings you to brunch?"

"I invited her," Edward said, before I could answer.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, he did," I told her.

I couldn't stand the tension in the room, so I asked Edward where the bathroom was. I was on my way back from the bathroom, when I heard Rosalie having a go at him.

"You do know the only reason she's here, is because she feels sorry for you," she told him. "I mean why else would someone like her go anywhere with someone like you."

"There's nothing wrong with me," he growled at her.

She let out a snort. "Just keep telling yourself that."

"What is your problem, Rosalie?"

"You annoy the fuck out of me. You're such a fucking prude."

"That's it? That's your reasoning?"

I chose that moment to make myself known. "Rosalie, may I speak to you for a moment?"

Edward left the room, and I turned to look at her. "Not that it's any of your fucking business, but I came because I wanted to. _Not _because I feel sorry for him. And for the record. Edward's perfect the way he is."

She rolled her eyes at me, then stepped into my personal bubble. "Back the fuck off. It's none of your business what I say or do with Edward. I'm family. You're not. Just remember that," she hissed at me, before stalking away.

I was stunned. What a bitch! Before I could dwell on what she'd said, the family came back in, and brunch was served. After my first bite, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. Esme was one hell of a cook, and I let her know.

"Thank you, dear. I'm so glad that you're enjoying it. I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I made a bit of everything. So what do you do for a living?" she asked, switching subjects on me quickly.

I swallowed the food in my mouth and let her know that I worked at a tattoo shop. "How did you get into the field?" Carlisle asked.

"I started off working as a receptionist at a shop back in Phoenix while going to college. Before long, the owner Billy, noticed that I liked to draw and proceeded to teach me about tattooing. I absolutely love it."

"It's always rewarding to have a job that you love."

I agreed with him. Once everyone was done eating, I offered to help Esme clean up. She refused and tried to shoo me into the living room with her children, but I refused. She had gone out of her way to cook such a nice meal, that I felt it was only right to help her out. Once the table was cleared, she wouldn't let me help anymore, so I wandered into the living room. Alice and Jasper were curled up in a recliner, while Emmett and Rosalie had commandeered the couch. That left the love seat with Edward. I moved into the room, and the hushed conversation they were having, came to a halt. Hesitantly, I walked further into the room, noting the not so friendly looks I was getting from everyone. Well, not everyone. Edward refused to even look at me.

"What?" I asked.

Alice gave me a small smile that seemed slightly insincere. "Nothing."

I had obviously missed something while I was helping out. I narrowed my gaze and turned it on Alice.

"Bullshit."

Alice had the nerve to look upset with me. "Excuse me?"

"Obviously, I missed something while I was helping your parents out. Something, I might add, that none of you bothered to do. So what horrible offense did I commit?"

"You know exactly what you did," Alice scoffed.

"Again, bullshit. All I did was help clean up the brunch that your parents were nice enough to cook."

Even Jasper, sweet, kind Jasper was giving me a not so friendly look. Well. I knew when I wasn't wanted. Excusing myself, I said goodbye to Esme and Carlisle after thanking them for a wonderful meal. I then walked out the door and started walking. It was quite a walk back to my house, but that was fine with me. I was pissed off, and the walk would give me time to cool down. I wasn't sure what the fuck had just happened, but I wasn't going to play whatever game they were playing. I'd been walking for about a mile, and my ass was frozen. I wasn't used to this cold ass shit, and my body was letting me know it. I heard a car approaching, and gripped the pepper spray on my key chain a bit tighter.

"Bella!"

Edward. I turned around and saw his Volvo slowing to a stop. I kept walking. I was upset with him. I'd thought that we were friends, but whatever the fuck had happened at his parents' house, made it clear to me that we weren't.

"Bella, please!" he called out, his voice edged with desperation.

I let out a sigh, before giving in and turning around. I stalked over to the driver's side, giving Edward a frosty look. "What?" I spat out.

He had the decency to look abashed. "Would you please get in? It's a long walk back to your house. Please?"

"Fine."

I walked around his car and climbed into the passenger seat, thankful for the warmth of the car.

"Bella," he began, but I cut him off.

"Don't, Edward. Just don't. I don't know what the fuck just happened back there, but I'm more than a little pissed off at you. I realize that we don't really know each other, but I thought that we were friends."

"We are," he insisted.

"Really? Because my friends don't treat me like shit after they've invited me to brunch with their family. Is that what you do? Invite some unsuspecting fool over for brunch, then give them the cold shoulder and make them feel like shit afterward?" I asked, anger lacing my voice.

"What?" he sputtered out. "No! Of course not!"

"Whatever, Edward. I just want to go home."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. From the corner of my eye, I could see Edward blinking back, what looked like tears. I don't know what he was so upset about? He wasn't the one treated like shit. Finally, we pulled into his drive, and I didn't wait for him to open my door. I got out, coldly thanked him, and headed home.

I spent the rest of my day upset and feeling bitter. I hated being played, and it sure felt like I had been. I was sitting on my couch, eating ice cream, when my phone rang.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi, baby. How are you? How is Washington?"

"I'm okay. Washington is fine."

She wasn't buying it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's stupid. It's ... okay, so I met this guy, Edward, and I thought we were friends. He's real shy and quiet, a bit like I was in high school. Anyway, he invited me to his family's house for brunch this morning, so I went. Things were fine, except for a minor encounter with his bitchy sister-in-law, then I helped his folks clean up. I headed into the living room to hang out with them afterward, and they, his siblings and their significant others, gave me the silent treatment, refusing to meet my gaze. I'm fucking pissed!" I ranted to her.

"Bella, honey. Did you stop to think that the sister-in-law might have said something, causing them to react the way they did?"

Huh. I hadn't stopped to think that. Mom was probably right. But even if Rosalie had said something about me, why would Edward side with her?

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"

I hadn't realized that I'd voiced the question out loud. We chatted for a bit more, and I had calmed down considerably after our talk. I loved my mom. Sure, she was a bit scattered, but once in a while, she made perfect sense. She was right. I needed to talk to Edward, despite the fact that I was still a bit angry with him. Throwing a hoodie on, I headed out the door and over to his house.

I knocked a couple of times until he opened the door. His eyes were rimmed with red, and it was obvious that he had been crying.

"B ... Bella! What are you doing here?" his voiced quivered a bit.

"I wanted to talk to you about today."

He opened the door and gestured me inside. I walked in, and sat down on the couch, waiting for him to join me. He sat down on the opposite side of the couch, barely looking at me.

"Edward, what the fuck happened today after brunch?"

He flinched at the harshness in my voice. "While you were helping Mom and Dad, Rosalie told us what you said to her."

"So, she told you that I was there because I wanted to be, and that I thought you were perfect the way you are?"

He looked up, startled. "Um ... no. She said that the only reason you were there was because you felt sorry for me. She said you said to leave the pathetic little virgin bitch alone. If anyone was gonna mess with me, it'd be you."

"After all the shit that she's said to you, you chose to believe her! Have I ever given you the impression that I thought you were pathetic? Well, have I?" I was practically shouting at him.

"No."

"Then why?

His lower lip trembled and his voice wavered. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I was already feeling insecure, and Emmett kept teasing me about liking you. I mean, I know there's no way that you would ever like a guy like me, so when Rosalie told us that you said those things, it was easy to believe."

"Do you have any idea how much that hurt me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. I had felt utterly betrayed by him.

He shook his head. "No. I'm so sorry!" he cried. "I know I should never have believed her. Oh, God. You hate me now, don't you!"

Scooting over, I put a hand on his arm. "I don't hate you. Am I disappointed that you'd buy into Rosalie's bullshit? Yes. Am I hurt that you'd think I was the kind of person who would talk about you behind your back? You bet."

He looked so sad. "Are we not friends anymore?"

"Hey. I'm still your friend. Just your slightly pissed off friend. Not so much at you anymore, but definitely at Rosalie. And Jasper. I thought he and I were becoming friends, but apparently he was just as eager to believe her bullshit."

We both sat there quietly for a few minutes. "Edward, I want to apologize for my language. I know you're not a big fan of swearing, and I've been going at it since I walked in the door."

"It's okay, Bella. I've told you that. Just be you."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Perhaps you should take your own advice?"

"I know. I know. Dad's always telling me that."

"Well, your dad seems like a smart guy. Cute, too."

A look of horror crossed over his face. "Ugh."

I let out a laugh. We spent the next few hours getting to know one another. I learned that Edward hated red apples, loved chocolate, and was allergic to certain fabric softeners. His favorite color was brown, his favorite book was _All Quiet on the Western Front_, and he loved to watch _Doctor Who_.

"Oh, yeah. Who's your favorite Doctor?"

His jaw dropped. "You're a Whovian?"

"I am."

"Wow. You're the coolest woman I know."

"Thanks," I laughed. "So?"

"Oh, I like Tom Baker. He was awesome, but David Tennant and Matt Smith were good too. How about you?"

"DT all the way. I love that man."

He popped in the fifth season of _Doctor Who__,_ and we killed the rest of the night watching it. At around eleven, it was time to call it a night. We both had work in the morning. Reluctantly, I left his house, but not before giving him a quick hug. He stood frozen, before wrapping his arms around me, returning it. He gave a good hug.

"Night, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella. Thank you for being my friend."

He was too damn sweet. Dammit! I liked him. And not in a friends only kinda way. I was so fucked. He was too sweet and innocent. I would destroy him.

(break)

"What the fuck am I going to do, Seth?"

"Do about what?"

"Have you not listened to a word I've said?"

"Sorry, Bells. I was distracted," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. It was a quiet morning, so Seth and I were cleaning the main area, while Jake was restocking things. The distraction that was causing Seth to ignore me, was Jacob's very fine ass.

"Now what is it that you're freaking out about?" he asked, turning his gaze to mine.

"IlikeEdward," I rushed out.

"We know."

I gaped at him. "What do you mean, 'we know'?"

"Oh, c'mon, Bells. It's obvious to both Jake and I, that you really like him."

_Fan-fucking-tastic_.

"So, what are your plans, regarding Little Cullen?"

"No idea. He's not exactly well versed in the ways of women. I don't want to scare him off. I think being friends for now is the best thing. I mean, I'm pretty sure he likes me, but friends first is the best way to go."

"Oh, he totally likes you. No doubt about that, but I think you're right. He's a bit gun shy. Go slow, but not too slow."

"What are we talking about?" Jake interrupted.

"Bells and her plan to snag Little Cullen."

"Ha! I knew it. Better be careful. That boy is as pure as snow. We wouldn't want you to corrupt him with your wild, wicked ways."

The rest of the day was spent being teased relentlessly by two overgrown boys. By the time I got home from work, I'd heard all kinds of innuendos from those two, as well as ways to corrupt poor Edward. Later that night, I snuggled down in my bed, when there was knock on my door. _Fuck!_ Shoving my feet into some slippers, I trudged down the stairs, cursing whoever was at my door. Imagine my surprise, when I found a very unsteady Edward standing there. His hair was a mess, a silly grin on his face.

"Edward, are you drunk?"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own several Harry Potter posters.

A/N: Once again, I'd like to thank everyone that's reading this little idea of mine. For those that reviewed, a big thanks. I get all excited whenever I see a new review, and then I turn around and text my beta to let her know. Speaking of betas, Chylex28, you are awesome. I can't say enough. And yes, penguins are evil.

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

"A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it." ~William Styron, interview, _Writers at Work_

**EPOV**

I really, really disliked Rosalie. I almost hated her. She constantly picked on me and made me feel like even more of a loser. Brunch had been going fine, but I should have known that that wouldn't last. Mom and Dad seemed to like Bella, and we were all getting along rather well. Bella was extremely gracious and even offered to help clear off the table once brunch was done. She was very persistent about it, and that was when everything began to go wrong. The rest of us, minus Mom, Dad, and Bella all went into the living room. The couples all curled up together, leaving me sitting alone. I was used to it.

"Well ..."

I gave Rosalie a glare. She was up to something, but I wasn't sure what. "Well what?"

"Well Bella and I had a little chat earlier," she began.

"What are you getting at?" I spat.

She settled back into her seat, a smug look on her face. "She's not here because she likes you. She pities you."

"No, she doesn't," I argued.

"She totally does. We talked after you left. She told me, and I quote, 'to leave the pathetic little virgin bitch alone. If anyone was gonna mess with you, it'd be her."

My mind was racing. What Rosalie said couldn't possibly be true, could it? The more I thought about, the more I realized that it could very well be true. Why else would Bella be here with me? She was a beautiful woman, and I was—I was a pathetic virgin. Oh, God. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were furious that Bella would say those things. I was lost in my self-pity when Bella came back into the room. I vaguely heard what was being said, but all I could focus on was the fact that Bella had lied to me. My heart felt destroyed, and I felt sick. I refused to meet her eyes, but I saw the shock, and then the fury, that came over her face before she stalked out of the house.

"Bella left in a hurry. Did we do something wrong?" Mom asked, coming into the room.

"No, she did. She told me the only reason she came was because she felt sorry for Edward," Rose said.

Mom and Dad both frowned. "I don't believe that for a minute. Bella's a sweet girl. She's not the kind to do something because she pities someone," Mom said.

Coming further into the room, she sat down beside me. "Edward. You need to talk to her."

I barked out a harsh laugh. "Yeah, I don't think so. I don't want anything to do with someone who pities me."

Mom did her best to convince me that Bella wasn't like that, but I didn't want to hear it. Grabbing my keys, I headed out the door, not sure where I was going. Home wasn't an option at the moment, but as I started driving, I noticed Bella walking in the cold. Guild immediately filled me. Even if I was mad at her, it was ungentlemanly of me to let her walk the seven miles back home, especially since I was the one who invited her and drove her to my parent's house. I slowly pulled up to her and called her name. She kept on walking, ignoring me. Finally, she turned, asking what I wanted.

"Would you please get in? It's a long walk back to your house. Please?"

"Fine."

I watched as she walked around and climbed into the passenger seat. I tried to talk to her, unsure of what to say, but she didn't want to hear it. I guess I couldn't blame her, especially when she told me that I wasn't acting like a friend. She was right, but I was also conflicted over everything that had happened. The drive to her house was unbearably quiet, and the tension was thick. I was doing my best to keep the tears that I felt welling up in my eyes, from spilling over. I dropped her off, but I wasn't ready to head into my own house. I soon found myself driving to First Beach in La Push.

I parked the Volvo, then made my way to the beach, where I found a rock to sit on. It was freezing out, but I relished the feel of the spray on my face and the smell of salt in the air. I took a few deep breaths, allowing myself to slowly calm down. I was furious. I rarely got that angry, but I had thought for sure, that Bella and I were friends. Sure, we hadn't known each other long, but I really liked her. As in, I was completely and irrevocably in love with her. I was screwed. I dropped my head into my hands. I sat there for a long while, trying not to think about things, when I heard a voice call my name.

I looked up and saw Jasper making his way over to me.

"Hey, Edward."

"Hey," I said in a weary voice.

"How you holding up?"

I shrugged.

"Man, I don't know what to say. I sure as hell never saw that coming. Bella seemed cool. I never would have pegged her as a bitch."

I felt fury rip through me when he called her that, but I knew Jasper was simply trying to uplift me. Remembering the reason why he was trying to ease my pain in the first place, I was overtaken with misery. "She's not." I whispered. " I just wish she would've told me, instead of playing me for a fool and calling me a pathetic virgin."

He clapped a hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Let it go, man. Let it go. C'mon. It's freezing out here. Alice is worried. Thought you were going to throw yourself off a cliff or something."

I rolled my eyes. Alice could be so dramatic. Reluctantly, I got up and headed home. Once inside my house, I turned on some Debussy and sat down, trying to relax and not focus on the drama that unfolded. However, my mind wasn't cooperating. All I could think about, was Bella, and how nice she'd been to me. The longer I sat and thought about things, the more I realized that I'd most likely been played by Rosalie. I was an idiot. When the tears came, I let them. I knew if Emmett were around he'd call me a, a—a pussy. I shuddered at the thought of the word. It was so crass. I got up to go to the bathroom, when there was a knock on my door. I thought about ignoring it, but figured if it was Alice, she'd just keep knocking.

Imagine my surprise, when I saw Bella standing on my porch.

"B ... Bella! What are you doing here?" my voice quivering a bit.

"I wanted to talk to you about today."

Well, that was just fantastic. I really didn't want to hash it out with her, but she looked determined. I opened the door, gesturing her in, and taking a moment to wipe my sleeve over my eyes. She sat down, then stared at me.

"Edward, what the fuck happened today after brunch?"

I flinched at the tone of her voice. I told her that Rosalie had told us what she'd said.

"So, she told you that I was there because I wanted to be, and that I thought you were perfect the way you are?"

_What?_ I was startled by what she said. That wasn't what Rosalie had said at all.

"Um ... no. She said that the only reason you were there was because you felt sorry for me. That you called me a pathetic little virgin, and that if anyone was going to mess with me, it would be you."

Her jaw dropped. A look of shock on her face.

"After all the shit that she's said to you, you chose to believe her! Have I ever given you the impression that I thought you were pathetic? Well, have I?"

I cowered just a bit as her voice rose into a shout. I told her no, then she demanded to know why I had believed Rosalie over her. My lower lip started to tremble, and I was afraid that I was going to cry in front of her. In a wavering voice, I explained that I'd been feeling insecure as it was, and it was easy to believe what Rosalie had said.

What she said next shocked me. She told me that I'd hurt her. I was devastated. I never wanted to hurt her. I felt sick knowing that I had caused her pain. We talked a while more, establishing that we were still friends. I couldn't begin to apologize enough for my behavior.

After our talk, I was feeling a lot better. We spent the next few hours getting to know one another. I learned that Bella's favorite color was green, her favorite book was _Wuthering Heights, _and that she enjoyed mushroom ravioli. When I mentioned that I liked _Doctor Who_, her eyes lit up.

"Oh, yeah. Who's your favorite Doctor?"

"You're a Whovian?" I asked, incredulous that this woman could be anymore perfect.

"I am."

"Wow. You're the coolest woman I know." I was sure that I sounded like a teenager, but I didn't care.

"Thanks," she laughed. "So?"

"Oh, I like Tom Baker. He was awesome, but David Tennant and Matt Smith were good too. How about you?"

"DT all the way. I love that man."

Getting up, I put in the fifth season and we spent the rest of the night watching it. Around eleven, I walked her to the door. As we said goodnight, she turned and gave me a hug. I froze, hardly daring to breath, astounded that she had her arms wrapped around me. Realizing that I was standing there like an idiot, I wrapped my arms around her. She fit perfectly. All too soon, the hug ended, and reluctantly, I let her go. I stayed on the porch, making sure that she made it safely home, before heading back in myself.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next day with a smile on my face. What had started off as a crappy day, had ended up with Bella hugging me. After completing my morning ritual, I climbed into the Volvo to head to work. Normally, I walked, but some ice and snow had come down in the night, and I didn't feel like falling all over my self. Work was slow as usual, although we had a class from the elementary school come in. Thankfully, Angela gave them a tour.<p>

"Hey, Edward."

I looked up and saw Jasper standing near me, a weary look on his face.

"Hey, Jasper."

"So ... uh," he began, rubbing a hand over his messy hair, "how are you?"

"Good. I'm good."

His eyebrow raised. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. Wasn't expecting that. I figured that you'd be upset after everything that happened with Bella yesterday."

"Speaking of yesterday, someone needs to have a talk with Rosalie" I scowled. "She lied about what Bella said. Bella and I talked last night, and she told me the truth. Why the heck Rosalie felt the need to lie about what Bella said, is beyond me."

"Wait. What?" Jasper asked, looking confused.

"Rosalie lied. Bella told me what was really said between the two of them. For some reason she decided to lie. I want to know why."

"And you believe her?"

"Who? Bella? Yeah, I do. Mom was right. Bella isn't the type to be with someone because she pities them. Bella has never been anything but nice to me, to all of us. It's no secret that Rosalie abhors me, and is always putting me down. It makes sense, if you think about it. "

"Well, fuck! I feel like a complete douche. And Esme's right. Bella isn't like that, but there was no reason for me not to believe Rose. Rest assured that I'll be getting to the bottom of this. I'll also be apologizing to Bella."

"Yeah, she was real upset that you believed Rosalie. Heck, she was pissed at all of us for believing Rosalie. Not that I blame her."

The rest of my day went by rather quickly, and before long it was closing time. I was going to head home and see if Bella was around. Maybe she'd want to have another _Doctor Who_ marathon. Jasper caught up with me as I was leaving and asked me if I wanted to go to dinner with him and Alice.

"Sure. Why not?"

We met at the local diner, where we had a nice dinner. I explained things to Alice, and she, too was very upset with the way she'd acted toward Bella, as well as being upset with Rosalie. After dinner, Alice headed home, while Jasper asked me to go to the Broken Bottle with him. The Broken Bottle was kind of a dive bar, but it was a favorite of Jasper's since they played lots of country music. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but I tolerated it.

"So, why are we here?" I asked him as we found a spot at the bar.

"I wanted to talk to you about Alice," he said before ordering two rum and cokes. I wasn't sure what he needed to talk about that would require two stiff drinks. The bartender put the drinks in front of him, and he slid one over to me.

"Go on," he urged.

I reached out and took a tentative sip of the drink. It was coke, but with a spicy taste to it. Not quite as awful as I'd thought it would be.

"Are the two of you having problems?"

"No! Not at all," he said, quick to reassure me. "I ... uh ... well, you know I love her, right?"

I nodded, taking another sip of my drink.

"Iwanttoaskhertomarryme!"

"What?" I asked, unsure of what I'd heard.

He took a breath, then downed half his drink. "I want to marry her."

"Okay."

"Okay? It's cool with you?"

"It's fine with me, but ultimately, it's up to Alice. I can assure you that she wants to marry you. Just be prepared for a huge wedding. She's been planning it since she was seven," I warned him.

"Will you go with me to Port Angeles to get her a ring?"

"Sure. I know nothing about jewelry though."

He frowned for a moment. "I could ask Rose for advice on a ring."

I took another drink, noticing that my glass was quickly becoming empty. "You can if you want, but I sure as he—heck, wouldn't trust what she has to say," I got out, noticing that my speech sounded funny.

Jasper shook his head at me. "Want another drink?"

I looked down, surprised to see my glass was empty. I was feeling pretty good. Like I could take on the world. "Sure," I slurred. We drank our drinks, took a couple of shots, toasting to his impending engagement. We made plans to go to Port Angeles on the weekend to look at a ring. I told him we should invite Bella.

"She's a girl. A very, very, pretty one. She likes jewelry. I bet she could help."

He was nodding enthusiastically, agreeing with me. "That's a good idea."

I told him that I'd ask her. We lost track of time, sitting there drinking, and then I saw Dad come into the bar.

"Dad! Hey, Dad!"

He chuckled as he approached us. "Had a bit to drink, huh Edward?"

"No," I said, while nodding.

"C'mon, boys. Let's get you home."

I stumbled off my stool, and out the door to Dad's car. It took a few tries, but I got the door open and fell into the backseat. "Hey, Dad! What'cha doin' at the bar?"

"Coming to get you."

"Huh. It's like you're psychic or something. I was thinking that we needed a ride home and there you were!" I exclaimed.

Dad let out a laugh. We pulled into my driveway, and Dad helped me out of the car and unlocked my door for me. He settled me down on the couch, handed me a glass of water and some aspirin.

"Take these. You're going to be feeling this in the morning."

I said goodbye to him, and lay down on the couch. I sat up suddenly, realizing that I'd promised Jasper that I'd talk to Bella. Grabbing my keys, I left my house and headed to hers. I knocked on her door until she answered.

"Edward, are you drunk?"

I gave her a sloppy grin. "No. I'm just happily happy. There was something I was going to ask you. Oh, yeah! I remember. Did you know that you're pretty?"

Actually, I wasn't so sure that's what I was going to ask her, but that sounded good. She let out a giggle as she ushered me in.

"Sit down, Edward."

I flopped onto her couch, feeling boneless. A glass of water was thrust into my hands, as well as a couple of aspirin. "Take these."

Grumbling, I took the pills, and set the glass down when I was done. Bella was truly beautiful. Her long brown hair was down, and she was wearing pajama pants that had penguins on them.

"I hate penguins. They're evil, you know," I told her as I squinted at them.

She let out a laugh. "Oh, really? Is that a proven fact?"

"Yes!"

"Not that I don't enjoy your company, but what brings you over here so late? We both have to work early in the morning."

Late? It wasn't late, was it? I looked at the clock over her mantle and saw that it was indeed late. "Whoa. I didn't know that it was that time. What time is it?"

"Oh, Edward," she said, shaking her head. "You're going to be feeling this tomorrow. It's almost one. In the morning. Now, what did you want to ask me?"

I frowned. I was going to ask her something? Oh, yeah! "Yeah, I remember. Jasper's gonna ask Alice to marry him, but he knows nothing about rings. He wants your help."

Her eyes took on a frosty glint. "I'm not going to help Jasper with anything at the moment."

"He's sorry. So is Alice. I talked to them. They're going to apologize to you. I promise. Jasper also said something about talking to Rosalie. I hate her. She's a witch. She's evil. Like penguins."

Bella reached over and ruffled my hair. "You're too cute."

"You're cute, too. I thought you were an angel the first time I saw you. You're my tattooed angel."

* * *

><p>I woke up with a pounding headache, and my mouth felt like cotton and had this horrid taste in it. Like an animal crawled into my mouth and died. I sat up, stretching, and a blanket fell off my lap. Mid-yawn, I paused. Where the heck was I? Looking around, I realized that I was in Bella's house, on her couch. How the heck had I gotten there?<p>

"Morning, Edward. How's the head?" she asked, coming into the living room, two cups of coffee in hand.

I groaned at the drumming in my head. "It hurts," I mumbled.

"I bet," she snickered. "Have some coffee and aspirin."

"Bella? How did I end up here?"

She let out that beautiful laugh of hers. "You don't remember?"

Bits and pieces of last night came flitting through my brain. "Oh, God," I said, burying my head in my hands. "I'm never drinking again!"

She sat down next to me, reaching up to brush my hair off my forehead. "Why did you?"

"I don't know. Jasper ordered me a drink, I took a sip, we started talking, and before I knew it, we'd had a few drinks. I'm sorry if I acted inappropriate at any point in time."

"You didn't," she promised.

That didn't lessen the embarrassment that I felt. I vaguely recalled calling her my tattooed angel and telling her that she was pretty. Then a horrible thought hit me. "I didn't get a tattoo did I?"

She sputtered out a laugh. "No. I wouldn't have let you when you were drunk. Now that you're somber, if you want one, let me know. Now, it's time to get ready for work. Head home, shower, eat something, and go have a good day."

Slowly, I got up. I thanked her for being so kind, then I surprised myself by giving her a hug. She hugged me back, holding me tight. "You give a good hug, Edward."

What a strange compliment. "Thank you. So do you."

"Would you like to come over for dinner?" she asked.

"I'd love that."

* * *

><p>I sat at my desk, wishing the day would hurry up. Jasper was looking as rough as I felt; neither one of us saying much. I spent my lunch hour taking a nap, trying to feel human again. At quarter to six, I was more than ready to leave.<p>

"What's got you so antsy?" Angela asked as I sat at the desk fiddling with a pen.

"Just ready to head home?"

"Yeah? Why is that?"

"Oh, I ... um ... I'm having dinner with Bella."

"Seriously?"

Why did she sound so surprised? "Yes," I said with gritted teeth.

"Oh, well that's cool."

I rolled my eyes. At that moment, Jasper made his way over to me.

"Man, I'm so ready to go home and just sleep. No more drinking for a while."

"I hear that," I told him. "My head was killing me this morning. Thankfully, Bella—" I broke off, realizing that I'd already said too much.

Jasper's head snapped up at my mention of Bella, and he honed in on me like a shark does to blood. "Thankfully, Bella what?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"No way, Cullen. Spill it."

I ran my hands through my hair. "After Dad dropped me off, I decided it was a good idea to go see Bella and ask her to come ring shopping. I'm not sure what all I said, but I woke up on her couch this morning."

Jasper let out a whistle. "Holy, shit! Look at you. Growing up, getting drunk, sleeping on girls' couches."

I hit him with a book. "I'm having dinner with her tonight."

He held out his fist, and I gave it a bump. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, it is. By the way, you still owe her an apology. She won't go ring shopping with you, if you don't."

He looked abashed. "I know. I'll stop by and visit her tomorrow afternoon, if she's okay with that."

Finally, it was time to go home. I stopped at the small floral shop near the bakery, and bought a couple of purple roses that caught my eye. They seemed more up Bella's alley than traditional red roses. I drove home as quickly as possible without breaking the law, ran inside, changed, and made my way over to Bella's. Clutching the flowers in one hand, I knocked on the door with the other. I heard her call out for me to come in, so I opened the door, wiping my feet on the floor mat before making my way into her kitchen.

She stood near the counter, wearing a brown knit dress, her long brown hair pulled back with a clip. She turned and gave me a big smile. "Hi, Edward."

"Hi, Bella. Here," I said, thrusting the flowers at her. "These are for you."

I watched her smile get bigger and her chocolate brown eyes melted. "Oh, Edward. You didn't have to get me flowers."

I felt a blush light up my cheeks. "I wanted to."

"Well, thank you," she said, leaning up on tiptoe to brush a kiss against my cheek.

My fingers reached up to brush over the cheek she had kissed, when she went to put the flowers in a vase. She had kissed me. It was taking everything in me, not to spin her around and plant a kiss on her lips. She returned with the flowers in a vase and set them in the center of the island. I was bit nervous about our dinner. I wasn't sure if this would be considered a date or not, but whatever it was, I hoped to enjoy it.

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><p>an: As always each and every review is appreciated! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Design For Life**

_Ink to paper is thoughtful Ink to flesh, hard-core. If Shakespeare were a tattooist We'd appreciate body art more. ~Carrie Latet_

**BPOV**

I'd had the day from fucking hell. My day had started off fine. There was nothing better than seeing a gorgeous man asleep on your couch, unless of course, said gorgeous man was asleep in your bed. He'd been so sweet and funny last night, but I'd been sure he was going to have one hell of a hangover when he woke up. I made him coffee, asked him to dinner, and sent him on his way. After that, everything went to hell in a hand-basket.

I was on my way to work when I got held up by an accident, making me twenty minutes late. I finally got to work, and Jake was PMSing like there was no tomorrow. He and Seth had a huge fight, so they weren't speaking to each other. That is why you don't date someone you work with. It makes it uncomfortable for the innocent bystanders who work there. After sending them off to work in separate corners, all while they were glaring at each other, I got a devil of a customer. Dude was a fucking prick. He kept ogling my tits and ass, making comments, and "accidentally" brushing up against me. _What the fuck ever!_ I put dude in his place and threatened to cut off his dick if he kept it up.

Finally, lunch rolled around. I headed out, wanting to leave behind the angst and drama, only to find it in the sandwich shop I frequented. I was next in line to order a sub, when the stupid little teenage girl behind the counter decided to test out her flirting skills on the guy in front of me, who was so far out of her league, it wasn't funny. I was getting really fed up with her, as were the people in line behind me. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, kid. Do you think you could try out your flirting skills at some other time? You've got a line of people waiting here," I told her, somewhat rudely.

She shot me a glare, which I returned, and then proceeded to ignore me. _Oh, hell no. She did not just fucking ignore me!_ I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, so my tats were on display, leaned over the counter, and gave her my most menacing look.

"Look, little girl. I don't have all day to stand here, so take my freaking order before I get your manager out here."

Her eyes flashed to the tats on my arms, and her eyes widened at my threat to get her manager. _Stupid kid. _Reluctantly, she took my order. Once I had my sub in hand, I asked to speak to her manager. Needless to say, the stupid girl wasn't too happy with me. I had a little chat with her manager, and got a free sub coupon out of it. I ate my lunch quickly, then headed back to the shop. I was greeted with yelling as I opened the door.

"I'm so fucking tired of this shit, Jake!" Seth hollered, arms crossed over chest, face slightly red.

"Then why don't you just fucking leave!" Jake roared back.

I let out a groan. I didn't want to get in the middle of whatever their problem was, but I couldn't let them continue to duke it out in their place of business.

"Guys! This isn't the time or place for this fight! If a customer walks in and sees this, they're going to head somewhere else. Get your shit together or leave. I'll manage on my own," I told them.

"Stay the fuck out of this, Bella!" Jake growled at me.

_Excuse me._ I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sorry. Did you just tell me to stay the fuck out of whatever is going on here?"

"Yes."

I walked over and got in his face. This shit was going to end now. "Leave. Get the fuck out of here. You too, Seth. I don't want to see either of your mugs 'til you have this issue resolved. You've made it very uncomfortable to work today, and I don't need to deal with your shit.

Neither man moved. "Go!" I yelled, pointing toward the door. Both guys moved toward the door, keeping a bit of distance between them. I let out a sigh of relief once they were out the door. The rest of the day was quiet, until closing time. It was five to five, and I had finished doing inventory and putting things away. I was busy deciding what to make for dinner, when the bell above the door rang. I looked up and saw Alice heading my way. _Fuck!_ I wasn't in the mood to deal with her.

"What do you want, Alice?" I asked in a hard voice.

Her lower lip trembled as she spoke. "I'm so sorry!" she cried.

I crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn't forgiving her that easily. I waited for her to expand on her apology. She shifted her weight back and forth, fidgeting with her hands.

"I'm sorry that I believed what Rose said. I didn't really think that you'd say those things about Edward."

"Really?" I scoffed. "You sure jumped on the Rosalie bandwagon rather quickly. Look. I know you don't know me from Adam, and we're not friends, but it fucking pisses me off that you were quick to believe that I'm this horrible person. That I would say those things about Edward."

"I don't believe you're a horrible person. It's just—I've known Rose forever, and I know that she can be a bit bitchy, but I've never had reason to question her word before."

I barked out a laugh at that. "How the hell you can believe a word that comes out of that bitch's mouth is beyond me." I glanced at the clock on the wall, grabbed my coat, and put it on.

"I need to get home," I told her, waiting for her to get the hint and leave. Giving me one last pathetic look, and another apology, she finally left. The drive home went by quickly, giving me ample time to stop at the store and pick up some groceries for tonight's dinner. I picked up some steaks to broil and some potatoes to bake. I figured it was a simple enough meal, and I was sure Edward would enjoy it.

Once home, I started the broiler and ran upstairs to shower real quick. I threw on a brown knit dress that I found in the closet, and pulled my hair back in a clip. I headed downstairs, threw the steaks in the broiler, and got out a bottle of wine. It was fairly cheap, but it tasted good. Although, I wasn't sure Edward would be wanting any after his adventure with alcohol yesterday. A heard a knock on the door and called out for him to come in. He walked into the kitchen, holding a bouquet of purple roses. He was so sweet.

"Oh, Edward. You didn't have to get me flowers."

"I wanted to," he told me, a blush dusting his cheeks.

"Well, thank you," I told him, leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek. He was what I needed after the crappy day that I'd had, and that thought scared me a bit. It scared me how quickly I was becoming enamored with him. I realized that I now looked forward to seeing him, and became sad when he left. I was pathetic. Letting out a little sigh, I grabbed a vase for the flowers and put them in the center of the table.

"I hope you don't mind having broiled steaks and baked potatoes for dinner."

A smile lit his face. "Not at all. Thank you, again, for inviting me."

"Of course. We're friends. Friends have dinner together. Besides, I have it on good authority that you think I'm pretty."

There went that blush of his again. It rose up, tinging his cheeks. "I really am sorry about last night."

I let out a laugh and reached over to cup his cheek. "Edward, I told you. It's fine. You were adorable. Drunk, but adorable. Now, I was thinking we could have a glass of wine with dinner, if that was alright with you. If you'd prefer something else, that's fine."

He pressed his cheek into my hand, then startled me by pulling away and pressing a kiss to my palm. "I think one glass would be okay. I sure don't want to make a habit of it, though. This morning was rough."

_My poor adorkable Edward._ He offered to set the table, while I got the food out of the oven. Soon we sat down to eat our meal, and I must admit, it was fucking fantastic. I was one hell of a cook. Edward let out a throaty moan after his first bite, and it sent tingles throughout my body. I wanted to make him moan like that all the time.

"Does it taste okay?"

"It's amazing! You should cook for me all the time," he joked.

I pointed my fork at him. "Hey, now! I'm not gonna be you're personal chef, but I wouldn't mind cooking for you once or twice a week."

His eyes lit up. "But," I began, "I want something in return."

He looked a bit nervous. "Um ... what do you want?"

I let out a laugh at his look. "Nothing nefarious. How about this? I cook for you a couple of times a week, and you cook for me a couple of times a week."

"I'm not a very good cook," he said quietly.

I reached across the table and touched the back of his hand. "Edward. I don't care if it's frozen pizza. I enjoy spending time with you. I hope you feel the same."

He turned his hand over and laced his fingers with mine. "Of course, I do. You're a great fr—friend to have," he said, seeming to choke on the word friend a bit.

I wanted to be more than his friend, quite badly, but figured I had to ease him into it. After learning that he'd only ever had one real serious relationship, and that it was in high school, I knew I'd have to take things slow with him. Not to mention, that I was unsure of how a relationship with a normal guy would be. I'd always dated tattooed, motorcycle riding, in-your-face kind of guys. Edward was a gentlemen, and I was unsure how to proceed.

We finished the rest of our meal, while making small talk. After dinner, Edward insisted on washing the dishes, and who was I to argue? Once he was done, we sat down on the couch to watch some TV, but ended up talking the whole time. Edward had come quite a ways, and didn't stutter or trip over his words as much as he used to. I kind of missed it.

The next morning, I woke up to a ton of snow outside. Cautiously, I stepped out onto my porch and noticed we had several inches of snow on the ground. I hated driving in snow. I called Seth and let him know that I'd be running a bit late. He told me to take my time and be careful. I finally got to the shop, and noticed that Seth's car was the only one in the lot. I was grateful that I wouldn't have to deal with the drama that he and Jake had going on. Walking in, I stomped the snow off my feet, and said hey to Seth.

"Hey, Bella," he said, sounding downhearted and broken.

Walking over to him, I wrapped and arm around his waist and give him a light squeeze. "Still fighting with Jake?"

"Yeah."

I hopped up on the counter, feet dangling, and took a good look at him. It was obvious he hadn't slept, and his eyes were rimmed red.

"I don't know what to do, Bella," he said in quiet voice, tinged with pain. "I love him so much, but lately, it's like he's a different person. He's been acting strange, aloof. I'm terrified that he's found someone else."

There was nothing I could say that would have made things better, so I leaned over and gave him a hug. "I think that you two really need to sit down and talk things through. Unless that happens, nothing is going to change."

A few minutes later, the door chimed, and I looked over to see Leah walk in. Leah, was Seth's sister, and a regular client. I was working on a tattoo of a large wolf on her back, and it would take a few more sittings until it was done. All the time we spent together made us realize that we had a lot in common, and she was slowly becoming a very good friend of mine.

"Hey, gang!"

"Hey, Leah," we replied.

I went over to my station and set things up, while Leah took off her shirt and straddled the chair. I began to work on the wolf, adding some shading to it, while we talked.

"So rumor has it that you had a date last night," she said, over the noise of the tattoo gun.

"By rumor, you mean Seth?"

She laughed. "Yeah. He spent the night at my place," she said, her voice becoming serious.

"I told him that he and Jake need to talk things through. I don't believe for one minute that Jake would cheat on him, but I will admit he's been acting strange."

"I've told him that, too. If it comes down to it, I'll lock them in a room together until they either make up and fuck, or break up."

I snorted out a laugh. She would.

"Anyway, tell me about this date you had."

I let out a sigh. Leah wouldn't let it go. "It wasn't a date. Just dinner with a friend."

She was the one who snorted this time. "Puh-lease. We all know you're crushing on Cullen. That's who I'm assuming you had dinner with."

"Yeah. He brought me flowers. Purple roses. He's really sweet. Not my type at all," I told her.

"Yeah, well, look at how well your type has worked out for you. First, it was that James guy, then it was Laurent. Perhaps you should try Edward on for size."

"I'm pretty sure I scare him. He's so innocent. He's a lamb, and I'm the lion. I'm afraid I'll eat him alive."

She cracked up. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind being eaten by a beautiful woman."

"Ha, ha. Speaking of beautiful women, how is Sam?"

"She's great. Bitching because she's hungry and horny all the time. Crazy pregnancy hormones. So glad that I'm not the one popping out a kid."

Leah and Sam had been together for five years and were expecting their first child. A good friend of theirs had donated the sperm so they could have a baby. From what I understood, some of the people on the reservation weren't too thrilled to have a lesbian couple in their midst. I hated people like that. People were people. Get the fuck over it.

"Anyway, back to the date. And it was a date. He brought you flowers. That makes it a date."

"Fine. It was a date. I had a date with Edward, and he doesn't even know it," I said with a laugh. "I made steak and baked potatoes, and when he was eating, he let out this throaty moan, and oh my God, Leah, I wanted to pounce on him. Just leap over the table and have my wicked way with him right then and there."

"Damn, woman. You've got it bad," Seth snickered from behind us. I'd totally forgotten that he was there.

"Shut up," I told him, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Just be careful with him. I like him. He's a good kid, but completely naive about women," he cautioned.

"And you're so all knowing about women?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"More than he is."

"Anyway, he mentioned how much he likes my cooking, so I offered to cook for him twice a week. In return, he has to cook for me as well."

"Nice," Leah said. "Very smooth, Bells. You'll have him eating out of the palm of your hand before you know it."

I frowned at that. "I don't want him eating out of the palm of my hand. I just want to establish a solid friendship, before attempting to progress things further," I stressed, stopping what I was doing and looking at my work. _Damn. I was good._

"Honestly, I don't even know if he wants a relationship with me. Although," I said laughing, "he did call me his tattooed angel when he was drunk the other night."

Both Seth and Leah looked shocked. "Drunk? Eward?"

I explained that he had shown up drunk off his ass and what he'd said. They thought it was hilarious. I finished working on Leah's back, put some ointment on it, then started cleaning up.

"Bells?" Leah said, putting a hand on my arm.

"Yeah?"

"I'm pretty sure Edward likes you. I think he's good for you and you're good for him. But, don't take things too slow. Let him know that you're interested in pursuing a relationship with him. Talk to him. Communication is key."

She looked over at Seth as she said the last part. We said goodbye to Leah, and were kept busy with clients coming in and out for most of the day. At around five, Seth told me to head home. I pulled into my drive, headed inside, and tried to figure out what to have for dinner. Edward and I had never figured out when we would be cooking dinner for one another. I figured the easiest way to decide was to call him, and then I realized that I didn't have his number. We'd have to rectify that asap. A knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts. I peered through the window and saw that it was Edward. And just like that, my pulse raced a little faster and my breathing sped up.

I opened the door and greeted Edward.

"Hi, Bella. I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight?" he asked, slightly nervous.

"I'd love to. I was just trying to figure out what to do for dinner, so I'm glad you came over."

Locking my door, I followed Edward over to his house. Once again, I was amazed at it's cleanliness. He took my coat and hung it up, while I took off my shoes by the door. The table was set, and I smelled chili cooking.

"Is chili okay? I wasn't sure what you'd like."

I was quick to reassure him that it was fine. We ladled the chili into bowls and we sat down at the table to eat.

"This is delicious!" I exclaimed.

"Thanks. It's my mom's recipe. One of the few things that I'm good at cooking."

"You know," I began between spoonfuls, "we never decided who was doing what, when."

"Oh, um. I don't care. We could alternate days. Like I cook Tuesdays and Thursdays and you cook Mondays and Wednesdays. Or not."

"Works for me."

We talked for a bit more, discussing what foods we liked, what foods we hated. Before long, dinner was over, and I helped him clean up. We chatted about work and some of the stories he told me had me cracking up. I told him about the loser who came in and tried to get fresh with me. Edward was furious.

"What a jerk! The guy had no right to try and put his hands on you! Didn't anyone teach him any manners?" he ranted.

It was quite funny to see Edward all worked up. I walked over to him and gave his hand a light squeeze. "It's fine, Edward. I told him to back off, and he did. Besides, he would've been really stupid to try anything with Seth and Jake around."

He squeezed my hand back before saying, "I just don't want you to get hurt. I—I care for you. A lot."

"I care for you a lot as well, so please be careful when you're walking to work. No more falling into streets. Okay?"

"Promise."

Like it always did when I hung out with Edward, time flew by. He walked me home, where I thanked him for a wonderful dinner.

"I always have a good time with you, Edward."

"I enjoy spending time with you as well, Bella."

I gave him a hug, which I was pleased to note that he returned without hesitation. Leaning up, I placed a gentle kiss on the side of his mouth.

"Good night, Edward," I told him, leaving him slightly flustered on my front porch.

Edward and I had settled into a weekly routine. Four nights a week were spent with one another. The more I learned about him, the more I realized that I was falling for him. It wasn't a crush anymore. No, I was falling in love with him, and it scared the shit out of me. We hadn't progressed past the friendship faze yet, but I was working on it. He'd gotten more comfortable around me, hugging me, and giving me the occasional kiss on the cheek. Those kisses left my knees weak, and I couldn't wait to find out what a real kiss from him would do to me.

Later that week, Jasper stopped by my house. I opened the door and let him in.

"Hey, Bella," he said sheepishly.

"Jasper," I told him in a curt voice.

I shut the door behind him and gestured him into the living room. He went in and sat down on the couch, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior at brunch. I know that Rose can be a real bitch and that she doesn't always tell the truth. For the record, I'm truly sorry."

He looked sincere. Hell, he looked miserable, and I did understand where he was coming from. Sort of. She was his sister, and it made sense that he would believe her.

I sat down next to him, resting my hand on his shoulder. "It might take a while for me to trust you as a friend, but for what it's worth, I forgive you. Now, I hear that you're going to be popping the question to someone soon."

His smile lit up his face. "Yeah! I'm terrified, yet super excited. I need your help if you're willing to give it. I have no idea what kind of ring to buy her."

"Why not ask Rose to help you?"

He barked out a laugh. "Are you kidding me? You've seen as she is. She'd be critical the whole time. I'd much prefer your company."

We made plans to go ring shopping the following Saturday, when Alice was working. I still hadn't truly forgiven him or Alice, but what was done was done, and Edward and I survived it. Although, I told Jasper, that if Rosalie and I came face to face, I couldn't promise not to beat the shit out of the bitch. Then I asked him how Emmett was holding up with things. He told me that Emmett had been furious with Rosalie once he found out the truth. Good. She deserved to have her husband pissed off at her.

Monday rolled around, and I headed into work. Jake and Seth had finally worked things out and were back to being their usual nauseating selves. I never did find out what the problem was, and I was okay with not knowing. I had just finished tattooing a girl's name on this young guy's arm, when Rosalie walked in the door. _Fuck._ I really didn't want to deal with the bitch. I was having a good day for a Monday. Although, I was tempted to tell the poor idiot that I'd just worked on, that getting a chick's name tattooed on your arm was incredibly stupid, because he'd be stuck with it forever. Look what happened to Johnny Depp and Winona. Just sayin'. After giving the kid the usual after care speech, I put my stuff away and walked to the back. Rosalie could wait.

I took a fifteen minute break, spending it texting with Edward. We'd finally exchanged cell numbers and did our best to coordinate our breaks so we could talk together. It was a bit pathetic, but I couldn't get enough of him. Jake, Seth, and Leah teased me constantly, wanting to know when I was going to finally make a move and ask Edward out on a real date. I'd decided to ask him on Friday, to see if he wanted to see a movie together.

_Gotta go. Rosalie is here_

_I'm sorry. Have fun dealing with her._

_Thnx. c u tonight_

_Can't wait. Bye._

He was so damned grammatically correct, even in text. It was another cute thing about him. Locking my phone, I headed toward the front of the shop, where I could see Rosalie sitting restlessly. Completely ignoring her, I headed to the counter to check the appointment books.

"I need to speak with you," Rosalie barked out from her chair.

I was tempted to tell her that she needed to make an appointment first. "So speak."

"In private," she growled out.

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes and leading her to the back. I showed her to the break room, but left the door open while I stood near it. I could have Jake or Seth in here in a flash if I needed too.

"Come to apologize?" I asked.

"Excuse me? I'm not the one that needs to apologize. You are. You've turned my family against me!"

_Someone was delusional._ "Wow. You really are a crazy bitch. I didn't turn anyone against you. You did that all on your own. Ever hear the saying what goes around comes around? Well, there you go. You started all this shit with your lie at brunch, and now you're pissed because it's come back to bite you on the ass."

She leaned in close to me and got up in my face. "You don't want to fucking mess with me. Got that? I can destroy you," she threatened.

I rolled my eyes. "You might scare other people, but you don't scare me. I've dealt with far meaner people than you. Now, unless you're here to offer me an apology, I'd suggest you leave. Oh, and Rosalie. Don't fuck with Edward again. I will kick your ass."

"I'm not apologizing to you, and I'll do what I want, when I want."

_Stupid bitch._ I stepped up closer to her, until we were practically nose to nose. "Leave. Edward. Alone. I won't tell you again. Fuck with him, I will rearrange your face. Understood?"

She gave me a curt nod accompanied by an eye roll, then scurried off. I was seething.

"You okay, Bells?" Jake asked, putting an arm around me.

"I'm fine, but that bitch better fucking watch herself. I will take her out."

Thankfully, I was kept busy the rest of the day. Around four, the radio that we had on alerted us that a snow storm was heading our way, so we decided to close up early. Looking out the window, I could see the snow starting to fall. Both Jake and Seth offered to drive me home, but I waved them off. I would just drive slow.

I pulled out of the lot and headed toward the 101. Thankfully, there was very little traffic. I drove even slower when I approached Lake Crescent. The snow was falling harder, and the road was a bit slicker. The only thing preventing me from plunging to my death, was a flimsy guardrail. I knew that I was driving like an old lady, but better safe than sorry. I breathed a bit easier, once I passed the lake and was closer to Forks. I was about fifteen miles outside of Forks, when I hit a patch of black ice. I didn't even have time to breath, before the truck fishtailed. I did my best to correct it, but it was like the whole road had turned to ice. The truck turned in a circle, with me holding onto the steering wheel for dear life. I watched in horror as the truck swerved toward a tree. There was nothing I could do. All I could think, was that I was going to die, and my frozen body would be eaten by wolves.

The truck slammed into the tree, causing my head to smash against the window and steering wheel. Blood poured into my eyes before darkness took over. I had no idea how much time had passed, but when I came to, it was pitch black outside, and I was freezing. My whole body hurt, but my head and left arm hurt the most. I vaguely remembered loosing control of the truck. _Crap. _Edward was going to think that I stood him up for dinner. Edward! I needed to call him. _Where the fuck was my phone?_ I moved my right hand around, searching for it, when I realized that I'd kept it in my pocket. It took some painful maneuvering, but I was able to get my phone out of my pocket. I slid the lock off and saw that I had ten missed calls. Most of them from Edward, but a few from Seth and Jake as well.

I called Edward back right away, hoping that he would answer.

"Bella! Where are you? Are you okay?" he blurted out upon answering.

"I hit a tree," I managed to say. My chest hurt and breathing was becoming difficult.

"Where are you?"

"On the 101, about fifteen miles outside of Forks, I think. I hit a patch of ice. I hurt," I whimpered out.

"Hang on, Bella. I'll call the police and ambulance. Dad and I will be there in a few. Just stay on the line with me, okay?"

His voice was starting to fade, and I heard him hollering my name. I tried to tell him that I was okay, but nothing came out. I just hoped that he got here soon. I needed to see him.

a/n: So there you go. A bit of drama. Next chapter is finished, just waiting to hear back from my beta. I appreciate any and all reviews. Even if it's just a smiley face. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Do not own. Never will. I is a sad panda.

A/N: Starting Nov 1, I will be doing NANOWRIMO. Basically, you have the month of Nov to write a 50,000 word novel. This will be my first year attempting to do this, so my updates may once every two weeks once Nov hits. Seeing as how I'm able to write around 5k words a week, I'm fairly certain I can write a craptastic novel in that time and keep up with this story, but just in case I can't, you've been warned. If anyone is interested in joining, just go to www (dot) nanowrimo (dot) org. Thank you to everyone that is reading and reviewing this story! Makes my day to see those reviews! Chylex28 ... you are the goddess of grammar. Thanks for fixing my crap.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." ~Charles W. Eliot**

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><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

Bella and I had a thing. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was something. We spent four nights a week together. Cooking, eating, laughing. It was almost like we were dating, but we weren't. Or at least, I didn't think we were. She'd kissed me on the side of my lips a few times and always gave me hugs. It left me confused. I would have asked Jasper his opinion on it, but I was afraid that he'd make fun of me, so I did the next best thing. I called my dad.

"Hey, son."

"Hey, Dad."

"What's up?"

I let out a sigh. I hated feeling stupid. I explained my situation to him and asked him what he thought.

"Why don't you ask Bella?"

"Uh ... because I already feel like an idiot, and asking her if we're dating would make me sound like one."

"Just talk to her. That's the best advice I can give you."

I hung up with him and made the decision to talk to Bella. It was Bella's night to cook, so I decided to stop at the florist on the way home and pick up more flowers for her. It had become a tradition. She cooked, and I brought her flowers. Different ones every week. I was now on a first name basis with Lydia, the owner of Blooming Buds.

At six, I left the library, frowning at the weather. Snow was coming down, and I was worried about Bella driving in it. I made a quick stop at Blooming Buds, and picked up a bouquet that was all zen-like. It had purple dendrobium orchids, green carnations, dark pink Sweet William, an emerald palm leaf, and other tropical greens, arranged in a square kiwi-colored container. It was something that Bella would appreciate.

I got home, changed clothes, and looked out the window, noting that Bella's truck wasn't in the drive. That was odd. I called her cell, leaving a message when I got her voice mail. Twenty minutes passed, and there was still no call from Bella. I was doing my best not to freak out, but it was hard. I told myself that she was driving slow, and would call me once she got the chance. Forty-minutes later, I was a frantic mess. Remembering that Bella had given me both Jake and Seth's number in case of an emergency, I quickly dialed Jake. Frantically, I asked him if he'd heard from Bella. He hadn't, and was as worried as I was. Finally, my phone rang. It was Bella. Fingers trembling, I answered the phone.

"Bella! Where are you? Are you okay?" I blurted out, my voice full of panic.

"I hit a tree," I heard her say. _Oh, God. Please let her be okay._

"Where are you?"

"On the 101, about fifteen miles outside of Forks, I think. I hit a patch of ice. I hurt," she whimpered.

"Hang on, Bella. I'll call the police and ambulance. Dad and I will be there in a few. Just stay on the line with me, okay?"

Grabbing my house phone, I dialed 911 and reported Bella's accident, then I hung up and called Dad. I explained the situation to him, and he told me he'd be right over. I called out Bella's name to make sure she was still on the cell with me, but I got no response. For the first time in my life, I let the swear words fly.

As soon as Dad pulled into the drive, I raced out to his car and threw open the door. Climbing in, I urged him to go.

"Son, you need to calm down. The ambulance is already on the way, and with the weather getting worse, it's best if we meet them at the hospital."

Knowing that he was right, I agreed. We made it to the hospital in record time. We'd been waiting for about thirty minutes, when the ambulance pulled in. Bella was on a stretcher, a brace around her neck. I rushed over to her, but was quickly pushed back by the EMTs. Dad grabbed my arm, to keep me back.

"Let them do their job. I'll find out what I can," he told me in a stern voice.

I nodded as I watched them wheel her away. Time seemed to drag as we sat and waited for any word. Seeing my obvious impatience, Dad wandered down the hall to see if he could garner any information.

"She's going to be okay," he said once he came back. "She has a couple of bruised ribs, a gash on her head that required stitches, a minor concussion, and a sprained wrist."

I made a choked sound as he described her injuries. Dad was quick to reassure me that it could have been worse. He was right. A little while later, we were allowed to go back and see her.

"Go ahead. I'm going to call your mother and let her know that Bella's okay."

I realized that I should probably call Seth and Jake and let them know as well.

"Hello," came the tense voice of Jake.

"It's Edward. Bella was in an accident. She hit a tree."

"Fuck! Is she okay? I knew I should have insisted that we drive her home. "

I listed her injuries to him, then told him what room she was in. He promised to come and visit her tomorrow when the roads were clear. I hung up the phone and headed into her room. Tears prickled my eyes when I saw her. She looked so fragile, lying in that bed. There was a bandage on her head, as well as a nasty looking bruise, and her left hand was in a brace.

She gave me a weak smile when she saw me.

"Hey," I said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good," she said in a wobbly voice. I wanted nothing more than to reach over and wrap her up in a hug, so that's what I did. She clung to me, holding on tight, loosing the battle to hold her tears back. My heart broke, seeing her in pain. I pressed kisses in her hair as I rocked her gently.

"I'm so glad you're here," she mumbled into my chest.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else. I'm just glad that you're okay and that you're safe," I said before pulling away.

Her eyes were puffy and red, tear tracks marked her cheeks. Reaching up I wiped a tear away with my thumb. _My poor sweet girl._ I let her know that I had called Jake and assured him that she was okay.

"Do you want me to call your parents?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll do it when I'm feeling a bit better. I'm not up for dealing with my mom right now," she said on a sigh.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and held her hand. We talked quietly until a nurse came in to take her vitals, check her pupils, and give her a dose of medication. They wanted to keep her awake as much as possible because of the concussion. I volunteered to stay as long as they'd let me. After the nurse left, Dad knocked lightly on the door.

"Hi, Bella. How are you doing sweetheart?"

"Meh," was her reply. Dad gave her a smile.

"Once those meds kick in, you'll be feeling pretty good," he said with a laugh.

Dad stayed for a bit, letting me know that he'd pulled some strings so that I could stay with Bella. I was glad. There was no way I could leave her right now. I curled up in an uncomfortable plastic chair, holding onto Bella's hand the whole time. At some point during the night, I must have nodded off. I felt a hand playing with my hair, running through it and tugging lightly on the ends. Slowly, I opened my eyes, confused as to where I was for a moment. Then, I remembered. Bella. At some point I had laid my head on the edge of her bed, and now her fingers were playing with my hair.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

I let out a yawn, unwilling to move my head away. "It's fine," I purred as she continued her ministrations. Reaching up, I caught her hand and pressed a kiss to it. I couldn't stop myself. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her and make her mine, but knew that it wasn't the right time.

"Hey, Edward?" she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go on a date with me on Friday night, if I'm feeling better?"

My head jerked up, yanking her hand from my hair. _What?_ My mind stuttered. I was sure that I was gawking at her. She began to fidget with the blanket, her head down. I thought I heard her mumble 'never mind' under her breath. I reached over and lifted her chin, although she avoided my gaze.

"Bella. Please look at me," I whispered. She slowly drew her eyes up to mine. "I would love to go out with you. I was actually attempting to work up the nerve to ask you," I told her with a nervous laugh.

Her smile bloomed. "It's a date, then! Assuming they let me out of here by then."

"I'm pretty sure that they're going to spring you later today. That'll give you a day to rest up before Friday. So, what are we going to do on our date?"

A smirk graced her lips, and I felt a bit nervous. "Well ... I thought we'd get the hot, sweaty, animal sex out of the way, then maybe go out to dinner and a movie."

I choked on air. My brain was frozen, stuck on the whole animal sex part. _She wanted to have sex with me! _I couldn't believe it. She must be joking. I didn't even know how to have sex. I mean, I knew the mechanics of it all, but there was no way I could live up to what she was probably used to.

She let out a laugh at the stunned look on my face. "Calm down, Edward. I was kidding. Let's date for a while, then we'll get to the sex."

That didn't help me calm down at all. _Was she seriously thinking about having sex with me?_

"Seriously?" I croaked out.

"Seriously. I find you very attractive, and we have a good chemistry. Why wouldn't I want to sleep with you?"

I had no answer. I was pretty sure that I was going into shock. I opened my mouth a couple of times to say something, but nothing came out. Her hand came up and gently cupped my cheek.

"Oh, God. Did I break you?"

I snorted out a laugh. "No. I'm just ... processing. I find it very hard to believe that you would be attracted to me."

"Well, that's just stupid. You're a very attractive man, Edward."

The blush that I'd felt rising, swept up and took over my face. I ducked my head, unable to hold her gaze. "Thanks," I mumbled.

Not a few minutes later, we were interrupted by Jake and Seth. They both rushed in and wrapped her up in gentle hugs. They were beside themselves with guilt, but Bella was having none of it. She explained to them it wasn't their fault. It could have easily happened even if they had driven her.

"Hey, Little Cullen," Jake said, sitting beside me, while Bella and Seth talked.

_Little Cullen? _"Hi, Jake."

"How you holding up?"

"I'm better now. I was a terrified wreck earlier, when she didn't answer my calls. Then when she did, she said that she'd hit a tree. My heart about stopped."

"You care for her a lot, don't you?" he asked me softly.

I nodded. I wasn't ready to tell him exactly what my feelings were for her. I was still figuring that out, but I was almost positive that I was in love with her.

"We're going out on Friday, if she's feeling better," I told him.

"Nice. She had said she was going to ask you out. Glad that she did. You two are good for each other."

It meant a lot to me that Bella's closest friends thought we were good for each other. Despite the fact that we spent a lot of time together, I sometimes felt that I wasn't good enough for her. We all hung out for a while longer, until the doctor came in to check on her. After checking things out, he declared that she was well enough to leave, but to be careful. Dad came and got us and drove us to her house. We got her settled in, and I told her to call me if she needed anything. I didn't want to leave her, but I needed to go to work. Both Mom and Dad promised to stop by and check on her throughout the day, and that eased my worries some.

I got to work a bit late, but Mrs. Cope let me know that it was fine. It's not like we were busy. A few minutes after I started stamping the newspapers, Jasper sat down in the chair next to mine.

"How's Bella?"

"She'll be okay. She has some bruised ribs, some stitches, and a sprained wrist. It could have been so much worse," I said, my voice choking up a bit. I held the tears at bay, not wanting to come across as weak.

"I'm glad that she's okay, and that she has you to take care of her."

"Me, too. We're going out on Friday, if she's up for it."

His eyes lit up. "Nice! Way to go, bro."

I snorted. "She asked me. I hadn't quite worked up the nerve to ask her."

He shrugged his shoulders. "No matter. The point is that you're going on a date, with one, Bella Swan. Where you guys going?"

"Dinner and a move, I think."

"Don't you guys already do that? Like every week?"

Now that he mentioned it, he was right. We basically did do that. "Huh. I guess you're right. Maybe we'll do something else then. Nothing too stressful though. Her ribs are bruised pretty badly, and I know that must hurt her more than she lets on."

"Well whatever you end up doing, don't keep her out too late. She and I have a date on Saturday," he said with a grin.

My head snapped up, and I let out a low growl. He raised his hands in surrender as he laughed.

"Chill, dude. Not like a date date, but she's going with me to help pick out a ring for Ali. Why don't you tag along?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to get in the way."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Dude, it's fine. I need all the help I can get."

We spent the next twenty minutes talking, and telling Angela and Mrs. Cope of Jasper's plan to propose to my sister. They were very excited, both of them voicing ideas on the kind of ring that Jasper should buy. At around eleven, I got a phone call from an irate patron. I hated those phone calls. The kind where the person on the other end yells at me and informs that I have made a mistake. That there was no way they should have a fine on their card, and they swear up and down that they returned something. I put the jerk on hold and went to check the shelves. I came up empty handed and explained to him that it wasn't there.

"I turned it in! This is bull! I came in and handed it to you the other day! Now you're trying to say that you never got it! Is this how the library gets its money? By scamming people. I'm coming down there!" he yelled, before slamming the phone down in my ear.

I scowled. _Great._ Twenty minutes later, Mr. Newton stomped into the library. Mrs. Cope and Angela abandoned me, while Jasper, the coward, hid in the local history room. Mr. Newton leaned over the counter and got in my face.

"I turned that stupid book in last week. It's not my fault that you're inept at your job. I want that fine taken off of my card."

It was fifty cents. Fifty cents. Not fifty bucks. Cents. If he had been nice about it, I would have taken it off, but since he was being so rude, I refused to take it off.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't remove the fine. According to our records, you still have the book out. I can renew it for you if you'd like?"

"What I'd like is for you to remove the fine! I turned that book in. I even gave it to you."

"I don't recall you handing me the book, but I did a shelf check, and it isn't there. Chances are it's somewhere in your house," I told him calmly.

"Are you calling me a liar?" he roared.

A took a deep breath, steadying myself. I hated confrontation and didn't do well in these kinds of situations. Where was Emmett when I needed him?

"No, sir. I'm just saying that you might be mistaken. All I ask, is that you look at home again. I'll go ahead and renew the item so that you don't get any more fines."

I quickly renewed the book and wrote down the new due date for him. He snatched the paper out of my hand, stomping off, growling about stupid people. I'd bet a hundred dollars that he still had the book at home. I was right. Several hours later, Mrs. Newton came in.

"Hello, Edward."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Newton. How may I help you?"

"I just wanted to give these to you," she said, handing me the book that was supposedly returned, as well as a covered plate. "I'm sorry about Larry. There was no need for him to be rude to you. I hope you'll accept these muffins as an apology."

I thanked her, checked in the book, and took the plate of muffins to the back. Peeling the tin foil off, I found six banana bread muffins. Afraid that they might have been poisoned, I took a small bite. They weren't that great. A bit dry, but I could appreciate the effort that she put into them.

After closing, I headed to the grocery store to pick up something to make for dinner. Knowing that Bella probably wasn't up to coming over to my house, I figured we could just eat at hers. I gave her a quick call, just to make sure she was still up for dinner. She was, so I grabbed a frozen pizza and some chips.

I pulled into my drive, grabbed my groceries and headed over to her house. After a few seconds, she opened the door. She looked tired. Dark circles were under her eyes, and they looked rimmed with red. With my bag of groceries in one hand, I reached over and gave her a gentle hug.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," was her reply.

"We don't have to do this. I can go home and let you get some rest."

"Stay. Please. I've been resting all day."

"Doesn't look like it. You don't look so good," I said setting the groceries on her kitchen counter. Digging the pizza out of the bag, I read the directions, then turned the stove on.

"Gee, thanks. Way to make a girl feel good about herself," she said, a tinge of hurt in her voice.

_Ah, man. I just messed up. _"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. You just look tired. You're still beautiful."

"Hmph."

_Dang it! Fix this, Edward! _"Look at me, please. I really didn't mean anything by it. I—God, help me, I have no idea what I'm doing here. I'm just messing this all up. I meant to say that you look tired. Like you haven't rested well. You know I think you're beautiful. Dark circles and all."

Realizing what I'd said, I dropped my head into my hands. She wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her cheek against my chest. "I know you didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry. I'm being bitchy. My ribs hurt like a motherfu—like a mother. The pain pills the doctor gave me take a while to kick in. Plus, it hurts every time I breathe."

I loosely wrapped my arms around her, cuddling her close, pressing kisses to the top of her head. I loved the way she felt in my arms. I could easily see her there forever. That startled me a bit. We weren't even dating yet, and I was already thinking in terms of forever.

Pulling away a bit, I led her into the living room. I helped her get situated on the couch, and told her not to move. "I'm at your beck and call tonight. Whatever you want, I'll get it for you."

"Whatever I want?"

Gulping slightly, I looked her in the eye. "Whatever you want."

"Hmm...," she said, tapping her finger against her bottom lip. "The possibilities are endless, but for now, I would like a glass of tea with lemon, please."

"Sure thing," I said winking. I wasn't sure where this confident Edward had come from, but I was hoping he'd stick around a bit. I poured her a glass of iced tea, popped the pizza in the oven, set the timer, and wandered back into the living room. I handed her the glass, then sat down next to her.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Are you sure you're going to be up to going out tomorrow night?"

"Trying to get out of a date with me?"

"Of course not! Don't be ridiculous. I just don't want you to overextend yourself," I said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"As long as we don't go snowboarding or anything like that, I should be fine."

"Like I snowboard? Please. Haven't you figured out by now, that I'm a rather boring kind of guy."

She frowned. "I hate it when you put yourself down. You're not boring. A bit safe, but not boring."

"So you're thinking dinner and a movie?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Is that okay?"

"That's fine. Although Jasper pointed out to me, that we basically do that every week."

She let out a laugh. "He's right. We do. What should we do instead?"

I had no clue. It wasn't like I ever went on dates. I leaned my head on the back of the couch, thinking of what we could do at night in Forks or Port Angeles. Not a whole lot came to mind.

"I have no idea. Forks has nothing really. Maybe we can Google Port Angeles and see if there's something to do at night," I told her.

"Or we could stay in and cuddle on the couch. Have a romantic dinner here and watch a movie."

"Cuddling on the couch?"

"Yup. Haven't you ever cuddled on the couch?"

"No."

She looked shocked. "We'll have to fix that."

The timer went off, and I got up to get the pizza out of the oven. While it was cooling, I set the table for dinner. I thought a bit about what she said. Cuddling on the couch with her after a romantic meal sounded like a good deal to me. It meant I wouldn't have to share her with others. Then a thought hit me. _What if she didn't want to go out because she was ashamed to be seen with me?_ I frowned at the thought.

"Why are you frowning?" her soft voice asked.

I spun around, not realizing that she had come into the kitchen.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me," she said in a stern voice.

_Holy heck, that was hot. _"I was thinking that maybe you wanted to stay in because you're embarrassed to be seen with me."

Anger stole over her face. "Edward Cullen! How could you think that? I'm not embarrassed by you. How could I be? You're gorgeous, you're smart. You're a perfect gentleman. I'm proud to be with you."

I shifted my feet, feeling embarrassed and sheepish. I hated that I'd made her angry. I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging on the strands. "It's hard for me, Bella. I haven't dated in forever, and I obviously have some self esteem issues that I need to work on."

She held out a hand, which I quickly took. She tugged me to her. "Don't let me hear you beating yourself up again, or I will smack you. Got that?"

I nodded. "Good. Let's eat so I can take a pain pill afterward. My stupid ribs are killing me," she said, before placing a gentle kiss on my lips.

Best five seconds of my life. Her warm lips pressed against mine. Tingles erupted throughout my body, and I could feel myself start to react to her. When she pulled away, I felt lost. She sat down at the table as if nothing had happened. _How could she be so calm?_ Following her lead, I sat down and we began to eat. Over the course of our dinner, we decided that if she was feeling better and the weather was decent, we'd go out. If not, then we'd stay in and have a romantic dinner for two. I had no idea what that meant.

"As far as I'm concerned, any dinner I have with you is romantic."

Her brown eyes melted. "You are too sweet."

_Ha. Did she not remember how I nearly messed up earlier?_

After dinner was done, I made her go sit on the couch while I cleaned up dinner. Once done, I joined her on the couch. Sitting next to her, I realized that I had the perfect opportunity to cuddle with her. It took me a few moments to work up the nerve, before I placed my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side. I saw a small, almost smug, smile grace her lips as she leaned her head on my shoulder. Sometime during the documentary on tattooing that we were watching, my fingers found purchase in her hair. It was silky and smooth, and I couldn't resist touching it. She let out a contented sigh, snuggling as close as she could without causing her ribs to hurt anymore than they already did.

Once the show was over, it was time to head home. I hated leaving her. She walked me to the door, then hugged me. I loved her hugs. I held her gently, burying my face in her hair. It smelled like strawberry. I liked strawberries. I inhaled once more and she noticed.

"Are you huffing me?"

"No. I just like the way your hair smells."

"Thanks," she said giggling.

Standing on tiptoe she pressed a kiss to my lips again. This time, I had the sense to kiss her back. I had very little experience in the kissing department, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Her lips felt perfect, pressed against mine. Her kiss did things to me. It drove me crazy, and I tried to discretely adjust myself. I had no control over my body when she was this close to me. Finally, we parted, our glazed eyes meeting.

"Good night, Edward."

"Good night, Bella," I told her softly, pressing one last kiss to her lips.

I slowly walked to my house, hardly daring to believe that I had just kissed Bella. Then Katy Perry's song, _I Kissed a Girl, _started playing in my head. I had kissed a girl, and I liked it. I was such a dork. But I was a dork who had a date with the most beautiful woman on earth, and I couldn't wait.

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><p>an: Some how 'bout them apples? Got a bit of smooching going on! Next up will be the date. Let me know what you thought!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A/N: So November is upon, which means Nano is here. I've made it my goal to not only write at least 2k words a day for that, but to also continue with my weekly updates for this story (so that's roughly another 5k words). This means that I am a writing fiend. If you want to track my progress for Nano you can do so at http:/www(dot) nanowrimo(dot)org/en/participants/zimphella. I'm only 6400 words into my 50k.

Anyway, I would like to thank those who continue to read and review this story! I appreciate it so much. Chylex28, you rock. 'Nuff said.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**When the designs are chosen with care, tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul. ~Michelle Delio**

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><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

Friday morning, I woke up with a pounding headache and an aching in my ribs, but a smile on my face. I had planted one on my shy guy, and he had reciprocated. He was always sweet, but the past two days, he'd been a total sweetheart. I still couldn't believe that I'd asked him out from my hospital bed, and I giggled as I recalled his expression when I brought up sex. Edward was so clueless about how good looking he was.

I got up gingerly from the bed, went to the bathroom, then headed downstairs. I made some tea and toast, popped a painkiller, then sat down to call my mother. She had called and left me a message the other day, wondering why I was ignoring her. I wasn't. Not really. Picking up my cell, I dialed her number.

"Isabella Marie Swan! You had me worried sick. I've been trying to get a hold of you for days!" Renee screeched in my ear.

I let out a sigh. "Sorry, Mom. I've had a lot going on the past few days."

"Oh, really? What was going on that was so important that you couldn't spare five minutes for your mother?"

"I was in a car accident."

She changed her tone immediately and let out a dramatic gasp. "How badly are you hurt? Are you okay? What happened? Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you have someone call me?"

"Mom! One question at a time. I'm okay. I've a few stitches and some bruised ribs. I hit a patch of ice, and I slid into a tree."

I purposely didn't answer her questions regarding why I didn't call her. It was pretty obvious why I didn't.

"I told you not to move up there! I'm sure that Billy would be more than happy to welcome you back. You can have your old room back," she rambled on.

I rolled my eyes. Lord, she was too much sometimes.

"Mom, I'm not moving back. I like it up here, despite the weather."

"Well, okay. But if you change your mind—"

"I won't."

"Hmm ... so how are things with that Edward?"

I felt a smile grace my face. "Things are good. We actually have a date tonight."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I want you to call me tomorrow and let me know how it went. Promise me."

"I promise. I'll call you tomorrow," I told her.

We chatted for a bit longer before hanging up. By the time two o'clock had rolled around, I'd talked to Jake and Seth, getting date ideas. The weather had cleared up, so the boys decided that I should take Edward to dinner in Port Angeles. At three, I sent Edward a text, asking him to call me when he was available.

"Hi, Edward," I answered when my phone rang.

"Hello, Bella."

"I was calling to see if you would be okay with going out to dinner in Port Angeles?"

"That would be great. Would you like me to drive?"

"Please. Do you want to go the movies afterward?"

"Sounds great. What time should I get you?"

"Around seven? That would give you time to relax a bit before we head out."

He agreed and we hung up.

By the time five rolled around, I was having a clothes crisis. My wardrobe was a bit outspoken. I loved clothes that left an impact. However, digging through my closet and dresser, I couldn't decide what to wear. I didn't want to necessarily tone down my wardrobe, but I also didn't want to embarrass Edward or give him a heart attack. Thankfully, Jake sent Seth to help me out. He headed to my closet the minute I opened the door. He grabbed a pair of dark stone washed jeans and a short sleeve striped sequin embellished sweater. He paired it with a pair of killer boots, and told me to wear my pea coat with it.

"You're a life saver, Seth."

He flashed me a grin. "No prob. Now sit down and let me fix your hair and makeup."

Thirty minutes later, I was ready to go. Seth said goodbye and made me promise to tell him all about my date. Finally, it was seven and my doorbell rang right on time. I opened the door, and I was floored by what I saw. Edward looked good enough to eat. The man was the definition of yummy. He was wearing a dark green shirt that brought out his eyes, and a pair of jeans that looked like they were molded onto him.

"Wow! You look beautiful," he said in an awed voice.

I gave him a big smile. "Thanks. You look fantastic as well."

He blushed, then held out a slightly trembling hand. I loved how shy and nervous he was. Slipping my hand in to his, I closed the door, locked it, and followed him out to his Volvo. I hated how shiny and clean his Volvo was. My truck always looked like I lived in it. Although right now, it looked like I'd hit a tree with it. Oh, wait. I had. He held the door open for me, and I climbed into his car. Once he slid behind the wheel, we took off toward Port Angeles, with Edward driving exactly the speed limit. Classical music was emitting from the radio, and it took everything I had not to switch the station.

"So where in Port Angeles are we headed?" he asked, once we were on the 101.

"Seth told me about an Italian restaurant. Bella Italia, I think. Have you ever been there?"

"Once, when I was in high school. I ... uh ... took my girlfriend, Kate, there. She dumped me after dinner."

_The girl was an idiot._ "We don't have to go there if you don't want to," I told him, reaching over to stroke his cheek.

"It was a long time ago. Besides, I like the idea of making a happy memory there with you."

I felt as though my heart was melting. Edward was too good for me. We arrived at the restaurant, and Edward helped me out of the car. We were seated promptly, and our waitress was quick to flirt with him. He never even noticed, and that warmed my heart. After a quick look at the menu, we placed our order and then spent our time talking.

"Poor girl is dazzled by you," I told him.

He looked so confused. "What?"

"Our waitress. She has the hots for you. Poor girl could barely speak when you looked at her."

"Don't be absurd. Girls don't think of me like that."

"I do."

"I dazzle you?" he asked.

"Frequently."

"Is that bad?" he asked cautiously.

"Not at all. I enjoy it, and I enjoy you."

We were interrupted by our waitress bringing our food. We set into an easy conversation while eating. I had ordered clam linguine, while Edward had ordered the tortellini al pesto.

"How's your food?" he asked me after a few minutes.

"Wonderful. Here have a bite," I said, feeding him a bite of my linguine. I had to swallow back a moan, as I watched his lips wrap around the fork. He was too hot for his own good.

"That is good. Want a bite of mine?"

We spent the rest of dinner sharing our food. When the check arrived, I went to grab it, but Edward beat me to it.

"I've got it," he said.

I scowled a bit. "I'm paying for it. I invited you out to dinner, so it's on me. If you ask me out, then you can pay."

"I can't let you pay. It's ungentlemanly."

"No, it's not. Like I said, if you want to pay, then you ask me out to dinner."

He gave me a scowl of his own. _Holy fuck, he looked hot when he scowled._ "Fine. Will you go out to dinner with me next week?"

"Of course. Like I'd say no."

After paying, we headed to the movie theater, only to find that there was nothing that was playing that really appealed to either of us.

"Ugh. I hate zombie movies," he said, while we stood looking at the movie posters.

"Me, too. They're all the same. I hate to say it, but none of these movies look any good," I said.

"I agree. Want to come over and watch a movie?" he asked, sounding a bit nervous.

"And get to snuggle up with you and not have to deal with some asshole talking through the whole movie? Hell, yes."

He let out a laugh and tugged me back to his car. The ride home was quiet, the sounds of his horrible classical music filling the air. Halfway home, I had to change it. I couldn't take it anymore. Glancing at him, noting that his attention was on the road, I made my move. My hand had just reached the button on his stereo, when his hand grabbed mine.

"What are you doing?" he asked, stroking his thumb over the back of my hand.

_Busted. _"Changing the station?"

"Why?"

_Crap. _"Uh—I'm not a big fan of classical music," I said with a wince, horribly afraid that I had just insulted him.

Thankfully, he let out a laugh. "I realize that classical music isn't for everyone. You can change it if you want. Just no rap, please."

Relieved that he didn't seem to be upset, I found a station out of Seattle that played alternative rock. Limp Bizkit came over the radio, and I saw Edward wince from the corner of my eye.

"We're going to have to work on your musical taste," I told him over the music.

"Well, I'm not sure that this noise constitutes as music," he said loudly.

I snickered. "It's not that bad. Just give it a chance."

He let out a little hum. "Fine, but you have to give classical music a chance."

"Fair enough."

We pulled into his drive not too much later and headed inside. He told me to pick out a movie while he made us hot chocolate. Looking through the movies on his shelf, I was actually impressed with his collection. Normally, when I came over, he had the movie picked out. I had narrowed it down to three movies, and finally settled on _A Knight's Tale_. Heath Ledger was hot.

I popped the movie in and curled up on the couch, waiting for Edward to join me. He came in a few minutes later, with two big cups of hot chocolate. _Yum_. He handed me mine, then sat down next to me. From the corner of my eye, I saw him whispering the words to the movie. I let out a giggle. It was so cute. Then, one of my favorite scenes came on, and I couldn't help but say the lines out loud myself.

Turning to Edward, I said, "Better a silly girl with a flower, than a silly boy with a horse and a stick."

His eyes lit up and he quoted the next line, "It's called a lance. Hello?"

We both erupted in laughter. "I love this movie," I told him after our laughter died down.

"Me, too."

He set down his empty mug on the coffee table, seeming nervous about something. His fingers were moving restlessly across his knee. I was about to ask what was wrong, when he made his move. Slowly, he brought his arm up and wrapped it around my shoulders. I loved these little moments with him. Setting my own mug down, I rested my head against his chest, my fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt. I was desperate to find out what he had going on under his clothes, but knew that it was a bit early, judging by the way he reacted when I mentioned sex the other day.

I must have nodded off at some point, because the next thing I knew, the sexiest voice I'd ever heard, was whispering in my ear.

"Bella?"

_My Edward_. I snuggled in closer, doing my best to get as close to the warm body next to mine as I could.

"Don'twannamove," I mumbled into the warm chest I was leaning on.

"Okay, sweet angel. You can stay right here," the voice whispered, brushing a light kiss against my hair.

When I finally woke up, there was a fire crackling from the fireplace, and I was covered by a blanket on Edward's couch. Sitting up, I stretched, wincing a little at the soreness of my ribs.

"How are you feeling?" came a voice from behind me.

I craned my neck and saw Edward walking toward me, a mug in his hand.

"I'm okay. Ribs hurt a bit, but that's to be expected. I'm sorry I fell asleep on our first date." I didn't want him to think that I was bored by him.

He sat down next to me. "It's okay. You were tired. Besides, "he started with a blush on his cheeks, "I enjoyed you sleeping with me. I mean on me. I mean—"

"Edward!" I said laughing. "I get it. I enjoyed it as well. You're quite comfortable to sleep on. And trust me, you'll definitely enjoy sleeping with me. I guarantee it."

The blush increased tenfold on his face, and he seemed momentarily out of order. "Uh—I have no idea how to respond to that."

I couldn't help but giggle. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't tease you so much."

He sat back, getting more comfortable, and pulled my feet onto his lap. "I don't mind so much when you tease me. I know you don't do it to be mean. Unlike some people I know."

I pulled my feet off his lap, rearranging myself so that I could lean against him. I ran my fingers through his crazy hair. "Has she always been like that?"

We both knew who I was talking about.

"No. When Emmett first brought her home to meet us, she was pleasant. Not really nice, but coldly polite, I guess. I don't know what changed, but all of sudden, I was the brunt of all her anger. She likes to seek me out when I'm alone and let me have it. I don't think Emmett really knows how mean she is," he said sadly.

I wrapped an arm around him and gave him a squeeze. "Have you told Emmett how mean she is?

"No. I don't want to put him in a position where he would have to choose between his brother or his wife."

"You're a good man, Edward. But I have an inkling that Emmett might know. He saw what happened at brunch. I will tell you this right now. If she messes with you when I'm around, it's on."

Edward pulled away from me slightly, so he could look me in the eye. "Please don't. I'm not saying that you can't take care of yourself, but I don't want you to get hurt over me," he pleaded.

_Damn him! There was no way I could deny this man anything._ "Fine. But," I stressed, "I will not let her talk down to you! She's such a freaking bitc—witch."

He gave me one of his beautiful smiles. "That's the second time you've done that."

"Done what?"

"Censured yourself. I told you, you didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I don't ever want you to be uncomfortable around me."

He let out a snort. "You're a beautiful woman, and sometimes I'm at a complete loss as to how to act around you, but I'm never uncomfortable around you."

"Silly, Edward. You don't have to _act_ any way around me. I've told you time and time again. Just be yourself. I like who you are."

"But why? I'm sure I'm nothing like the guys you've dated before."

He looked so worried. I reached up and cupped his face in my hands. "You're right. You are nothing like the assholes I've dated before, and I'm extremely grateful for that. You're shy, you're sweet, you have a huge heart. You're also incredibly good-looking, have a good sense of humor, and great taste in movies. Although your taste in music is questionable. I've never been drawn to a guy the way I am to you."

Taking a deep breath, I gazed right into his eyes. "I really, really like you. I'm hoping that you feel the same. I wasn't looking to get involved with anyone, especially after Laurent. But then there you were. You've captured my interest from the get go. Edward, I'm not looking for a fling here. I want to date you and only you. Exclusive."

His eyes widened. "Exclusive? Just you and me?" he asked cautiously.

"No. I thought we'd invite Jasper to date us as well. Yes, exclusive. As in, just you and me. If that's okay with you?"

"Completely. I'm sure you've already figured out, but I haven't dated since high school, and I'm terrified I'm going to mess this up."

"As long as we're open and honest with each other, I don't think there will be a problem."

We both decided that after our heavy discussion, it was time to lighten things up. Although, I was glad that we had discussed things. We settled in and watched some Monty Python before calling it a night. He walked me home, holding my hand the whole time.

"I had a great time tonight, Bella. Thank you."

"I had a great time as well. And I'm sure the next date will be just as awesome."

He flushed a bit. "I'll certainly try to make it as good."

"I'm not worried. It's a date with you, so it's already good."

He blushed a bit brighter, than hesitantly lowered his head, until his lips were centimeters from mine. It seemed like forever before he finally brushed his lips against mine. I was thrilled that he had taken the initiative. The kiss started off lightly, but quickly became heated. His lips parted a bit, so I slid my tongue over his. His body went rigid for a moment, before he relaxed again. We stayed like that for a while, tongues dueling with each others, before he pulled away. His eyes were glazed, his lips swollen a bit.

"Wow," he muttered.

I let out a laugh. "There's more where that came from."

His eyes widened a bit, and I saw him attempt to adjust himself discretely.

* * *

><p>I spent Saturday morning cleaning my house. Sort of. I hated cleaning, but knew it needed to be done. Cranking my ihome up, I rocked out to the sounds of Paramore. I was startled out of my rendition of <em>Crushcrushcrush<em>, by a knocking on my door. Figuring it was Edward, I threw the door open, a smile on my face.

"Laurent," I said in a cold tone. _What the fuck was he doing here?_

"Bells, baby. How are you? I've missed you. Give me a kiss, baby," he said, leaning in as if he was going to kiss me.

I held my hands up, preventing him from bringing his lips any closer. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't visit my girl?"

_Was he fucking stupid?_ "I'm not your girl, your baby, your anything. We broke up. Remember? You dumped me so that you could move to New York with the Denali skanks," I reminded him, arms crossed over my chest.

"Baby, don't be like that. Can I come in? It's fucking freezing out here."

"No."

His jaw dropped open, then his eyes narrowed. "You got a guy in there? You do, don't you. You're fucking around on me!" he roared.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. "It's none of your fucking business what or who I do. We aren't together anymore. Get that through your fucking skull. If I want to have a guy over and fuck him six ways to Sunday, I will."

He reached over and grabbed my sprained wrist. "You fucking whore! I knew this would happen. I knew the minute you moved up here, that you would start fucking around on me."

Pain radiated through my arm. I could practically feel my bones grinding together. I yanked my arm out of his grasp, gasping at the pain. "What the hell is wrong with you? You knew for months that I was moving up here, and you were fine with it. Then you meet the Denali girls and break up with me. Now, weeks later, you're back here and accusing me of being a whore? I don't fucking think so. Get the fuck off of my porch and off of my property before I call the police and have you arrested for assault!"

He stormed down my steps, but not before he turned around and told me to watch my back. I was shaking. That wasn't the Laurent that I knew. New York had not been good for him. He looked like he hadn't been eating, and his eyes were bloodshot. I was pretty sure he was on something. I locked the door once inside, and watched from the window to make sure that he got into his rental car. He peeled out, almost hitting a park car, before tearing down the street. Grabbing my phone, I decided to give Charlie a call.

"Bella. This is a surprise. Did you want to talk to your mom?" he asked, after picking up.

"Oh ... not at the moment."

I then explained that Laurent had shown up and how he'd been acting.

"I don't like the sound of this, Bells. Sounds like he's on coke or meth. What's he doing in Washington? I thought he was here in Phoenix."

"He's been in New York. I haven't heard from him since we broke up, so I have no idea why he's back now."

"Be careful. Let Jake and Seth and that Edwood boy know that Laurent's around. Wouldn't hurt to let the police know either."

"His name is _Edward_, Charlie. But you're right. I'll let them all know."

I could hear Renee in the background telling Charlie to let her talk to me. I gave a sigh as he handed the phone over, after warning me to be careful again.

"Hi, Mom."

"Well? How was your date with Edward?"

"It was good. We went out to eat then went back to his place to watch a movie."

"Did you sleep with him?"

"Mom!" I yelled. I could hear Charlie yelling at Renee as well. The woman had no boundaries. "That's none of your business."

We talked a bit more before hanging up. I wasn't sure where the police station was, but I decided to have Edward go with me. A little after one, I saw Edward's Volvo pull into his drive. I raced out of my house and threw myself into his unsuspecting arms. He caught me, obviously surprised, but hugged me tightly to him.

"Well, hi."

"Hi," I said into his collar.

I clung a bit tighter to him, ever so glad to see him. The thing with Laurent had shook me up. Edward kept his arms around me, pulling away to plant a light kiss on my lips. Edward was just what the doctor ordered. His eyes roamed over my face.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Laurent."

"Your ex?"

I nodded. Taking one of my hands in his, he led me into his house and sat me down on his couch.

"Tell me."

So I did. I told him how Laurent had shown up out of the blue and how weird he was acting.

"He grabbed you?" he shouted, fury emanating from his pores. He jumped up, pacing back and forth. "He had no right to lay his hands on you!"

"Edward, please calm down. I'm fine. My wrist is a bit sore, but I'm okay."

He looked abashed as he sat down. "I'm sorry. I hate it that he hurt you. He had no right. I think you should tell the Chief. He's good friends with my dad. You should have Dad look at your wrist as well."

"We can do that."

"Okay," he said. "Let me call my dad and see if he's busy."

Fifteen minutes later, we drove to Esme and Carlisle's house. We pulled into the drive, and Edward let out a groan when he saw a jeep in the drive.

"Emmett and Rosalie," he said by way of definition.

_Fantastic. _"She'd better watch herself. I'm in no mood to deal with her and her bullshit," I growled out.

"As long as Mom and Dad are around, she'll behave."

We walked inside, where I was immediately wrapped up in a hug by Esme.

"It's so good to see you, dear. I was so afraid that we wouldn't see you again, after all the nastiness that happened at brunch."

I returned her hug, and she whispered in my ear, "Rosalie may think she has me fooled, but I've got her number. And if she knows what's good for her, she'll be on her best behavior."

I pulled away smiling, then followed her into the house. Once seated in the sitting room, with a promise of hot tea, Carlisle sat down to look at my wrist.

"Edward said that your wrist got hurt?" he questioned

"Yeah. My ex showed up today, hopped up on something, and he grabbed my wrist. It felt like my bones were being ground together."

Carlisle frowned as he examined my wrist. He gently rotated it, and I let out a yelp. _That fucking hurt!_

"I know it did. I'm sorry."

_Fuck. _I hadn't realized that I'd spoken out loud.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to swear."

Carlisle let out a laugh that was so much like Edwards. "It's quite understandable. The good news is that it's not broken, but you'll need to wear that splint for a bit longer."

Edward and Esme came into the sitting room, followed by Emmett and the she-devil. Edward sat down next to me, placing my cup of tea on the side table near me.

"Dad, do you think she should get a protection order against her ex?"

"Honestly, I don't know if there would be enough cause to. Before you get upset with me, hear me out. Yes, he grabbed her arm, but he left when she asked him to. If he keeps coming around and harassing you, Bella, then yes, you would probably be able to."

"I called my step-dad, Charlie. He's a cop, and he said that I should let the police know, just in case."

Carlisle nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Mark is coming over for dinner, so we can ask him if you should get a Order of Protection, but I'm pretty sure he'll tell you the same thing I did."

Edward explained that Mark was the Chief of Police and a family friend. Esme asked me if I would like to stay for dinner, and I agreed. I loved eating a home-cooked meal, and Esme was a great cook. I asked if she needed any help and was shooed out of the kitchen.

"Shoo. Go kiss my boy."

I raised an eyebrow at her. She put her hands on her hips and gave me a look. "You two are smitten with each other. It's as plain as day. Now, I know you two had a date last night, and I can only assume it went well, seeing as you're here with him."

After being shooed out of the kitchen, I went to find her boy, and maybe plant one on him. Instead, I found Emmett laying in wait for me.

"Bella? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Knowing that this talk was long overdue, I nodded. He led me to a small solarium filled with beautiful wicker furniture. I sat down and waited for him to speak.

"I owe you a huge apology. You seemed like a nice person from the get go, and I liked you instantly, but Rosie insisted that you were using Edward. He's my baby brother, so it's my job to protect him—"

"He needs protection from your wife," I butted in.

He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that I'd seen Edward do. "Please, let me finish."

I nodded.

"I worry about him. He's shy and geeky. Not a ladies man like yours truly. He's been hurt in the past, and I don't want him hurt again. I realize that we all made a huge error buying into Rosie's lie and that hurt Edward a lot. So, again, I truly am sorry. You're a nice girl and you seem good for him."

"I get that you worry about your brother. I'd be pissed if you didn't, but Edward is an adult, Emmett. He has to make his own choices and decisions. But, Emmett, if you don't want to see him hurt, then tell Rosalie to lay off of him. She constantly hurts him with her insults. You do as well. I know that you see it as teasing, but it hurts him."

He nodded, looking ashamed, as he should.

"Can I ask you something, Emmett?" He nodded again. "Why did she tell that lie?"

"I think she's jealous of you."

_Color me surprised. _"Seriously? But why?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. Maybe because everyone accepted you so easily, whereas with Rose, well ... not everyone still accepts her."

"Maybe if she was nicer, people would like her more."

"Maybe. She is who she is. I love her."

We talked for a few more minutes when we were interrupted by Edward.

"There you are," he said, worry etched on his face.

I beamed up at him as he came into the room. "We were just talking. You okay?" I asked, afraid that he'd been left alone with Rosalie.

"Yes. Mom wanted to know about our date."

Emmett did a double take. "When was this?"

"Last night," Edward replied with a smile.

"Way to go, little bro!" Emmett whooped, giving Edward a fist bump.

I grinned as Edward blushed. I excused myself to use the restroom. I had just finished washing my hands, when I heard Rosalie whispering outside the bathroom door.

"What the hell am I supposed to do? They seem to love her. It's like she fucking walks on water or something."

There was a pause.

"I don't know. This is bullshit!"

I opened the door and saw Rosalie on her phone. The look on her face was that of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She was up to something, and I wanted to know what.

* * *

><p>an: dun dun dun. A bit of drama for you to have with your fluff. As always, leave me a review. Good, bad, or plaid, I don't care. Each one is appreciated. I do my best to respond to each, but once in a while I'm an epic fail. See you next Saturday!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

A/N: I'm currently sitting at a little over 20k words for Nano. I'm slowly getting there, but I've still managed to find time to write this story as well. I have to admit, I like this story much more than my story for Nano. As always, a huge thank you to everyone who reads and reviews. I get all giddy when I see I have new reviews, which then leads to me texting my beta to inform her. And to my beta, Chylex28, you are awesome. I realize that we've already established that, but I thought I'd tell you again. If the format is all jacked up I apologize. FF was being weird. Happy reading!

**Design For Life**

**I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. ** **~Charles De Secondat**

* * *

><p>EPOV<p>

The minute we walked into my parents' house, Mom swept Bella up in a hug and whispered something in her ear. I was a bit curious to know what Mom had said, but I decided to ask Bella later. Mom ushered us into the living room, where Dad took a look at Bella's wrist. Once Bella was done being examined to by Dad, we talked about her options regarding her ex. I hated that he had hurt her. I had never felt so much rage toward another human being, as I felt toward him. I knew that I was physically no match for this Laurent guy, but I would do my best to keep my girl safe. I felt a silly grin break over my face. My girl.

Mom asked us if we wanted to stay for dinner, and we agreed. I wasn't about to turn down a home-cooked meal by Esme Cullen. My mom was a culinary genius, with Bella coming in as close second. Bella followed Mom into the kitchen, asking if she could help.

"Shoo. Go kiss my boy," I heard Mom tell her.

_Yes, please. _I loved my Bella's kisses. I grinned as Bella came out of the kitchen, but before I could go to her and collect on any kisses, Mom pulled me into the kitchen.

"Hello, my sweet boy."

"Hi, Mom," I told her, giving her a hug.

"Sit down and cut up these vegetables for the salad. Now, tell me all about this date you had," she demanded.

"Uh ... well, she asked me out when she was still in the hospital—"

"Edward! Why didn't you ask that sweet girl out?"

I let out a sigh. "I was going to, but she beat me to it. _ Anyway_," I stressed, "we decided to go out to dinner and a movie last night. We went to Bella Italia in Port Angeles then decided to head back to my house to watch a movie."

"I take it by the smile on your face that you had a good time."

"Of course. She's wonderful! I still can't believe that someone has beautiful and as wonderful as Bella would want to be with someone like me."

Mom turned and gave me a glare. "What is that supposed to mean, young man? Any woman would be lucky to call you theirs. And I know that Bella thinks you're pretty wonderful."

"She's amazing," I said, feeling that goofy smile grace my face. I couldn't seem to stop smiling whenever I thought of her.

"You two are so cute together. I just know that you'll make me beautiful grand-babies."

_What? Grand-babies? _"Uh ... don't get ahead of yourself, Mom. We've just started dating."

"Pshh. The two of you are crazy in love with each other. There'll be wedding bells ringing before you know it."

_Oh, my lord. My mom was crazy. _I needed to escape before she started putting together a scrapbook of what our future children would look like. I practically ran from the kitchen, my mom's laughter following me. I didn't see Bella and was afraid that Rosalie had her cornered, but I soon found Bella having a chat with Emmett in the solarium.

"There you are," I said, entering the room.

She gave me a huge smile, letting me know that she and Emmett had just been talking. She asked me if I was okay, and I explained that Mom had wanted to know about our date.

Emmett did a double take when he heard what I'd said. "When was this?"

"Last night," I said with a smile.

"Way to go, little bro!" Emmett whooped, giving me a fist bump.

I rolled my eyes. Emmett was so stupid sometimes, but his enthusiasm over the simple things in life could be addicting. Bella excused herself to use the restroom, and I couldn't help but watch as she walked away.

"Holy shit, dude! She is smoking hot and she's yours! Tell me about this date? Did you score?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Of course not! Bella is a lady and deserves to be treated as such," I admonished him.

"Chill, bro. I was just messing with you."

Of course he was. "Anyway, our date was good. She wanted to go to Bella Italia in Port Angeles, so that's where we went."

"Wait. Isn't that where what's her name broke up with you?"

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Besides, I had a much better time with Bella than Kate."

"What did you do after dinner?"

"We went back to my place and watched a movie."

"At least tell me you kissed her."

There went that goofy smile. Emmett let out a booming laugh. "I'll take that as a yes. How was it?"

"It was—amazing. She's amazing. And beautiful. And smart."

"I get it, dude. I'm happy for you. You guys are good together."

"That's what Mom said."

I was about to say more when Bella came back into the room looking troubled.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

She shook her head, before hugging me and whispering in my ear, "I'll tell you later."

I returned her hug, placing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Well, isn't this cozy," Rosalie sneered from doorway.

I really despised her. Thankfully, Emmett chose that moment to intervene.

"Be nice, Rosie. I for one, think they are quite the stunning couple."

I mouthed a thank you to Emmett. Every once in a while, he came through for me. A few moments later, Mom called us to dinner. Apparently, Mark had been called into work at the last minute, so he and his wife wouldn't be joining us. I made a note to stop by the station tomorrow with Bella. We headed into the dining room and all took a seat around the table. We passed around the dishes, each taking a bit of everything, except for Rosalie. She barely had anything on her plate. I was glad to see that Bella wasn't like that. I loved that my girl had a healthy appetite.

"Your mom tells me that you two had a date last night," Dad said.

Of course, Rosalie chose to add her two cents. "You two went on a date? Huh. Edward hardly seems your type, Bella."

Bella gave her a cold smile. "And what would you know about my type?"

"I'm sure you're more into the the tattooed, dreadlocks type of guys, like your ex."

Bella's eyes narrowed. "And how would you know that?"

All attention was focused on Rosalie now. Mom's eyes were narrowed, and I was glad to know that she wasn't going to tolerate Rosalie's attitude.

"Uh—"

"What are you up to, Rosalie?" Bella asked, fury tinging her voice.

Rosalie started to look like a caged animal. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Really? How do you know what Laurent looks like?"

"I must have seen a picture of him at your work station."

"Try again."

It seemed strange that Bella's ex suddenly showed up out of the blue and that Rosalie seemed to know what he looked like. I didn't want to think that perhaps she had something to do with him, but it certainly was looking that way. Emmett was looking at Rosalie as if he didn't believe her.

"Rosie, please tell me that you didn't have anything to do with Bella's ex coming around and hurting her."

Rosalie gave Emmett a glare. "Oh, that's just great! Take her side. I'm your _wife, _or have you forgotten that?"

Emmett was in full on bear mode. He didn't take kindly when people picked on people he cared about. Pushing away from the table, he stood, grabbing Rosalie's arm, dragging her out of the room. I let out a sigh. I hated that I had brought Rosalie into Bella's life.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to her.

Her mouth fell open. "Whatever for?"

"For all of this. If you hadn't met me, you wouldn't have to deal with Rosalie and her attitude."

Bella let out a soft laugh before she reached up and cupped my cheek. "Oh, Edward. I met Rosalie before I met you. She was coldly polite at the time, but it's obvious that she's not a very nice person. Don't you dare blame yourself for her behavior."

"But—"

She put her finger on my lips, effectively cutting me off. "No. I mean it, Edward! This is not your fault! The only to blame is Rosalie, herself. We're not discussing this anymore. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded. I heard a muffled snicker from across the table and saw my dad trying to hide his laughter behind his hand. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he busted out in laughter.

"My dear boy, she has got your number!"

Mom raised her eyebrow and gave Dad a look, shutting him up. I let out a laugh of my own at that.

"Like Mom doesn't have yours?"

He grinned and leaned over to give Mom a kiss. "We're lucky men, Edward. Damn lucky."

Mom beamed a smile, giving Bella a wink. I knew that some people were embarrassed by their parents, but I wasn't. I was envious. I wanted the kind of relationship that they had. Stupidly, I had thought I'd found that with Kate when I was eighteen. I was wrong. But sitting here with Bella, watching her interact with my family, made me realize that perhaps I had found it.

Once Emmett had left with Rosalie, dinner had been much more pleasant. Emmett had told Bella that he would call her later, once he found out more. After dinner, Mom and Bella retired to the sitting room, while Dad and I cleaned up.

"I really like Bella, son. She's good for you."

"I really like her a lot. She's—amazing."

Her laughter floated through the house, and I felt a sense of peace overcome my body. She was my everything, and that scared me. I purposely kept people at bay. I had been devastated when Kate broke up with me. I'd been young and naive, but I had loved with her my entire being. Her breaking up with me had almost destroyed me. I'd been comatose for months afterwards. I sat in my room for months on end. I didn't speak. I didn't live. I just was. My parents were scared for me and had sent me to counseling. Eventually, I became human again. I knew that I needed to tell Bella about it, but I was afraid that she would think less of me because I had allowed a person to so utterly affect me.

"You're in love with her," Dad said.

I shook my head. It was too early for love.

"Deny it all you want, but you are. It's as plain as day."

I sighed. "Mom said the same thing. I just—I can't think about that just yet. We've only started dating. I'm terrified I'm going to mess things up."

Dad set down the plate he was drying and walked over to me. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze. "You probably will. But so will she. No relationship is perfect. Messing up is part of it all. As long as you're honest with each other, things will work out."

My dad was like Yoda. He always had sage advice to give. We finished in the kitchen, then went into the sitting room. Bella gave me that smile that melted my heart as I sat down next to her. She cuddled in close, and it took a minute before I wrapped my arm around her. I wasn't used to the whole physical aspect of our relationship. Mom let out a little sigh as she watched us. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

We stayed for a bit longer before saying our goodbyes. I pulled into my drive, got out, and went around to open Bella's door. Hand in hand, I walked her to her house. We climbed the steps onto the porch, and I felt something crunch under my foot. I squinted in the darkness, trying to figure out what I had stepped on. I bent down and ran my fingers across the porch, yanking my hand back when something poked me.

"Ouch!"

"What is it, Edward?" Bella asked, her voice full of worry.

"I think it's glass," I said, sucking my finger in my mouth. _Man, it hurt._ I hated pain of any kind.

"Why would there be glass on my porch? Oh, my God, Edward! Do you think someone broke in?" Bella asked, panic starting to rise.

I hadn't even thought about that. _Crud. _"Let's go back to my house and get a flashlight. I don't want either of us to get hurt," I suggested.

We walked back to my house, where I grabbed my heavy-duty flashlight from the closet. Bella raised an eyebrow at it. "What? If the power goes out, I want to be able to see."

"You could attract ships in the ocean with that light."

"Whatever," I mumbled.

Taking her hand, we cautiously walked back to her house. I scanned the porch with the light and saw glass all over the porch. Looking up, I noticed that her porch light was broken. I felt extremely uneasy. None of her windows looked broken, just the porch light.

"I don't like this," I whispered to her.

"Me either. I'm going to check the door."

Holding on to her tightly with one hand, I watched as she went to put her key in the lock. The door swung in, and my light caught the broken doorjamb.

"We're calling the police," I told her, dragging her down the porch. I didn't care that I was literally dragging her behind me. There was no way she was going in there. Once safely locked in my house, I sat her down on the couch and dialed 911 on my phone. I explained to Sherri, the dispatcher, that it looked like someone had broken into Bella's house. Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on my door. I opened it and saw Chief Hunter.

"Hey, Edward."

"Hi, Chief."

"Boy, I've told you to call me Mark. I've known you your whole life."

I flushed lightly. "Sorry, Mark."

"This young lady must be Bella. Esme raves about you," he told her, holding a hand out for her to shake.

Bella shook his hand, giving him a wobbly smile. "Thanks for coming out."

"You bet. Why don't you two tell me what's going on."

I offered him a seat and made some tea, while Bella told him about Laurent.

"Have you ever had a problem with Laurent before?" Mark asked.

Bella shook her head. "No. He was never the clingy type. Not too long after I moved up here, he broke up with me, so I was really confused when he showed up acting like nothing had happened."

Mark took down notes, then told us that he was going to go check out her house and for us to stay here. As Mark left, I felt Bella trembling beside me. I didn't even think about pulling her to me. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her close. I wasn't sure what else I could do, and I felt completely helpless. I had no idea what I was supposed to do in this kind of situation. Her fingers played with the buttons on my shirt as she rested her head on my chest. I stroked her hair with one hand, pressing my cheek to the top of her head. No words were spoken. I wouldn't have even known what to say anyway.

Minutes seemed to drag by, until Mark knocked on my door. Letting go of Bella, I got up and opened the door.

"Someone definitely broke in," he began. "The front door was busted, and it looks like who ever was there, left through the back door. Recently. Your bedroom was ransacked, as was your living room. We're going to need you to take a look and see if anything was taken, but we'll wait until the morning to do so."

Bella wiped away a tear that had fallen. "Can you dust for fingerprints or something?" she asked.

Mark gave her a gentle smile. "Unfortunately, we don't have the man power or the resources for that. I can get someone from the Port Angeles P.D. up here, but it won't be until tomorrow. I have one of my deputies taking pictures right now, and we've written a report. That's about all we can do right now."

Bella nodded in understanding. I was upset that they couldn't do more. I realized that it was a small town, but I thought they would've been able to do something more.

"Do you have somewhere you can stay for the night?" Mark asked her.

"You can stay here. If ... uh ... you want," I told her.

She gave me a watery smile. "Thanks."

Mark expressed how sorry he was, then headed out. Bella sat on the couch, staring at nothing. Gently, I shook her.

"Bella?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you going to be okay?" And that was a stupid question to ask.

"Am I going to be okay? Are you fucking kidding me? My home was broken into! My sanctuary was violated, and we don't know by who! No, Edward, I'm not okay!" she yelled at me.

_Well, all right then_. Getting up, I stomped into the kitchen to empty my cup of tea. I didn't know why she was so mad at me. Sure, it was a stupid question to ask, but there was no need for her to be so rude. Scowling, I washed my cup, dried it, and put it away. Stomping up stairs, I gathered some blankets and a pillow, then headed back downstairs.

"You can have my bed, I'll sleep down here," I told her harshly.

She had her back to me, and I saw her shoulders shaking. As upset as I was, I couldn't just stand there and not do anything. Walking up to her, I tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Bella?"

She turned around, throwing herself at me. "I'm so sorry," she wailed. "I'm—scared and upset, and I had no right to take that out on you."

Holding her, I rocked us back and forth. "It's okay. Really. I shouldn't have asked such a stupid question."

I was angry at myself because I'd managed to mess things up already.

"No, Edward. None of this was your fault. _You_ didn't do anything wrong. I did. It was wrong of me to snap at you like that, when you were just asking a question."

"But it was a stupid question."

She let out a husky laugh that was muffled in my shirt. "Well—okay, it wasn't the best question, but I still had no right to snap at you like that. When I get scared, I tend to lash out, which is something that I need to work on. I really can't tell you how sorry I am."

I held onto her, pressing kisses on the top of her head. I still wasn't sure that I hadn't done something wrong.

"I can hear you thinking. Stop. I will not tell you again. You did nothing wrong," she growled at me, pulling away to look in my eyes. Staring into her eyes, it was hard not to believe her.

"You're so pretty," I blurted out, feeling the blush take over.

"Yeah, right. I look a mess," she scoffed.

"Well, sure you're eyes are bit puffy and red from crying, and your mascara is running a bit—" I cut myself off. No woman wanted to hear that. _Dang it!_ I had messed up again. I was horrible at this relationship stuff. Letting out a groan, I let go of her, sitting down on the couch.

"I'm sorry, Bella."

She cuddled up next to me, resting her head on my shoulder as she snickered. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

I rested my head on the back of the couch. "I'm no good at this relationship stuff. I'm supposed to be making you feel better. Instead, I insult you."

"Well, you did compliment me first."

"Oh, hush. Anyway, before I insulted you, I was letting you know that you can have my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

"No. I'll sleep on the couch. It's a very comfy couch. I'm not putting you out of your bed."

I was aghast. What would my mother think if I let her sleep on the couch? "I can't let you sleep on the couch! You'll take the bed," I said in an authoritative voice.

She pulled back from, crossing her arms over her chest. "I will not. I refuse to let you sleep on the couch."

She could be really infuriating. Arguing was getting us nowhere. It had been a long day, and we were both tired.

"This is getting us nowhere. Let's just share the bed," I suggested. _What the heck did I just do?_ I was shocked and appalled at my suggestion, and immediately wished I could take it back. What would she think of me asking her to share my bed like that?

"That sounds like a great idea," she said.

_Oh, my goodness. _She agreed. _ Oh, God. _Bella was going to share my bed. With me in it! Trying to act cool, I offered her a hand up, and showed her where my room was. I was a nervous wreck. I did a quick look around the room after turning on the lights, to make sure that nothing was out of order. Nothing was. My bed was made, my dirty clothes in the hamper, the dresser drawers shut, and shoes lined up near the closet.

"Wow. This is the neatest bedroom I've ever seen. Mine always looks like a tornado hit it."

I flushed, not sure if that was a good thing or not. "Um ... thanks."

"Do you have something I can sleep in or should I just sleep naked, like I normally do?" she asked casually.

My jaw dropped. _She slept naked!_ My mind was immediately assaulted with images of a naked Bella, and I felt myself hardening at the image. Shaking my head, I quickly tried to dislodge the images. Thankfully, Bella hasn't seemed to notice my issue, so I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of boxers.

"You can wear these if you'd like," I said, thrusting them at her.

Her smile lights up her face. "Thanks. I'll just go change."

I watch as she walks into the bathroom, then quickly strip down and throw on a pair of pajama pants and a shirt. I don't normally sleep with a shirt on, but I don't want to make Bella uncomfortable. I turn on the lamp beside the bed, then go and turn off the overhead light, and climb into bed. I had just gotten comfortable when I realized that I didn't know what side of the bed Bella preferred to sleep on. Getting up, I paced around, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerged, wearing my shirt and boxers.

"You didn't have to wait for me. You could have climbed into bed," she said.

"I ... uh ... wasn't sure what side of the bed you slept on."

She walked over to me and gave me a hug. "You're too sweet. I don't have a preference. I tend to gravitate toward the middle at some point."

I pulled back the covers on the right side and waited for her to climb in. Once she was settled, I pulled the covers up around her, then headed to my side of the bed. I climbed in and turned off the light. The room was cast into instant darkness. I lay as stiff as possible, and did my best to sleep.

"Edward," Bella whispered.

"Yes?"

"Do you normally sleep like that?"

"Like what?"

"Lying still in one spot."

"No. I don't want to make you uncomfortable," I told her truthfully.

She let out a sigh. "Just be you. Sleep how you normally do." There was a pause. "This is awkward for you, isn't it?"

"A bit. I've never had a woman in my bed before."

I heard some rustling, then felt her curl up next to me. She slid one leg over mine, and rested her cheek on my chest, while her arm wrapped around my waist. I was unsure of what to do, but I slowly let myself relax, and found myself wrapping an arm around her.

"This isn't so bad, is it?" she asked quietly.

"Not at all."

It wasn't bad at all. Just foreign to me. That and the shirt I was wearing was driving me crazy. I kept moving trying to get comfortable.

"Are you always this wiggly?"

"No. Shirt is uncomfortable."

"So take it off," was her sleepy response.

Carefully, removing her limbs from me, I pulled my shirt over my head and lay back down. Immediately, she wrapped herself around me again.

"You're so warm," she mumbled, before leaning up to place a kiss upon my lips. It was a chaste kiss, but it still warmed my soul. I kissed her back, before tucking her more securely against me.

I don't even remember moving, but I must have at some point, because I woke up at around three, spooning Bella. She was curled up on her side, and I had curled myself around her, my arm around her waist. I could never have fathomed how wonderful it was to sleep with a woman. Untangling myself from her, I made a quick trip to the bathroom before heading back to bed.

Moonlight lit the room, and as I climbed back into bed, I noticed that the covers had slipped off of Bella. Her legs glowed in the moonlight, and I realized with shock that she hadn't worn the boxers that I'd given her. My shirt had ridden up on her, exposing part of her back and side, allowing me a peek of her underwear. I felt guilty for looking at that part of her while she was sleeping. I was no better than a peeping tom!

Crawling back into the bed, I pulled the covers around us both, before wrapping myself around her again. Inhaling the scent of her hair, I placed a gentle kiss below her ear, before quickly succumbing to sleep.

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><p>ann: So there you have it. As always, each and every review is appreciated. Leave me something, whether it be a review or a cookie. (I like peanut butter ones)


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own a lot of crap, but I don't own Twilight.

A/N: So I'm a little over 32k words into Nano. Good times. Lots and lots of writing going on. Thank you all so much for the reviews (and the cookies)! I also want to wish those that celebrate Turkey Day an early Happy Thanksgiving. I will be posting next Saturday, but not until after 430 central time. A big shout out to Chylex28 for her awesome beta skills.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**A tattoo is a true poetic creation, and is always more than meets the eye. As a tattoo is grounded on living skin, so its essence emotes a poignancy unique to the mortal human condition. ~V. Vale and Andrea Juno, _Modern Primitives_**

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><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

I was warm, so incredibly comfortable and warm. A strong male arm was wrapped around my waist, and a large hand cupped my breast. Upon realizing that, my eyes flew open. Edward was copping a feel! I knew that if he woke up and realized where his hand was, he'd be flustered and probably upset. On the other hand, his reaction would probably be hilarious, and I was really enjoying the feel of his hand.

Behind me, Edward let out a contented moan and pulled me in closer, wrapping his arm around me tighter.

"Bella," he moaned, before thrusting up against me. _Oh, my. The boy was packing. _ I wiggled a bit against him, and he let out another moan.

"Mmmm ... my beautiful tattooed angel."

I did my best to stifle the giggle that was threatening to erupt, but was unsuccessful. My giggles woke Edward up, who was obviously a bit confused.

"Bella? What—" he began, then jerked his hand off my breast. "Oh, my God! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to grope you. I'm so, so sorry!"

I let loose with a laugh. He was so damn cute. "It's fine. I didn't mind," I told him, rolling over so I was facing him.

He had rolled onto his back, the covers slipping down a bit, and I could see the tent in his pants. I couldn't wait to get a hold of that; of him. The man was too sexy for his own good, and the fact that he didn't even realize it, made him even more appealing. He'd thrown his arm over his face, hiding his face from me.

I tugged on his arm, but he refused to remove it. "Edward, please don't be embarrassed."

"I can't help it. I grabbed you without your permission," his muffled voice said.

I rolled my eyes. "You didn't do it on purpose. Honestly, Edward, I didn't mind. It felt nice."

Reluctantly, he removed his arm and looked at me. His face was bright red. I couldn't resist leaning over and giving him a quick closed mouth kiss. I didn't want to kill him with my dragon breath. I snuggled up next to him and put my arm around his waist, holding him close. My hand traveled up and down his chest, reveling in the muscles that lay hidden there. He was super built, but he was well toned.

"Did you sleep okay?" He asked me.

"Best sleep I've had in a while. You seemed to have slept well yourself. Any interesting dreams?" I asked.

"Uh—why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. You just seemed quite happy to see me this morning," I told him, my gaze drifting to his groin.

Immediately, his hands flew down to cover his crotch, causing me to roar with laughter. I couldn't help it, and I felt bad, but it was too funny.

"I'm sor—sorry. I'm not laughing at you, just at your reaction."

Still covering himself, he rolled away from me, and curled up. _Aw, fuck._ I wrapped myself around him. I'd really fucked up.

"Edward?" I asked, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

"What?" he whispered.

"Please look at me. Please."

Slowly, he turned his head. His face was even more red than it had been before. Sitting up, I reached over and rested my hand against his cheek. "Why are you so embarrassed? It's a natural reaction. I know you know that."

"Of course I know that. I'm not stupid," he said harshly, then his voice softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I—ugh."

He flopped over onto his back, allowing me that wonderful view of his body again.

"I just don't want you to think of bad of me," he mumbled, unable to meet my eyes.

"Why would I think bad of you? Unless, of course, you were getting hard because you were thinking of someone else."

"What? Of course not. The only woman I notice is you."

"So, that's all for me, is it?" I asked with a grin.

"Uh ... yeah."

"I'm a lucky girl," I purred, licking my lips, and causing him to flush.

"Huh," was his response.

Getting up, I headed into his bathroom to brush my teeth and use the bathroom. Once done, I headed back to the room and was delighted to see that Edward was still in bed. The tent in his pants had gone down, and I was a bit sad to see it go. Hopefully, I'd be seeing it in person soon. Excusing himself, he went into the bathroom and exited a few moments later. He climbed onto the bed and sat down next to me.

"Good morning, my Edward," I said, leaning in to give him a proper kiss.

He opened slowly as I deepened the kiss, settling my mouth on his, tasting and teasing. After a few minutes, he broke the kiss, and started kissing my neck; nibbling on it. I threw my head back, letting out a moan. With one last kiss to my neck, he raised his head and planted another kiss on my lips.

"Good morning, my Bella."

We sat back and gave each other goofy grins. I could so get used to waking up with him. Eventually, Edward got off the bed, held out a hand, which I took, and we went downstairs to get some breakfast. It was while we were sitting there, eating Eggo waffles, that it hit me why I had spent the night at Edwards. I sobered up fast. As if sensing my mood change, Edward scooted his chair next to mine, and rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Mark will be here soon. Why don't we go get dressed."

Finishing the last bit of my waffles, I put my empty plate in the sink and followed Edward upstairs.

"Did you want to use my shower? I can let you borrow a clean shirt until you get home to change."

"That'd be great. Thanks, Edward," I told him, giving him a quick kiss.

Taking the towel and shirt he provided, I headed into his bathroom, closing the door behind me. The boxers that he had given me last night were still on the counter, so I figured I could wear those until I got home to put on some real underwear. I took a quick shower, inhaling the wonderful spicy scent of his body wash, not minding at all that I would be smelling like him all day. It was comforting, in fact. I opted not to wash my hair, figuring I could do that later. Stepping out of the shower, I dried off, threw on the boxers, my bra, and jeans. I held up the shirt he gave me, inhaling his scent. I loved the way he smelled. Once dressed, I headed back into his room to see that he was already dressed.

"I showered in the downstairs bathroom," he explained.

My breath caught at the thought of Edward naked. Hmmm...I bet he looked sinful. I was brought out of my lustful thoughts by the ringing of the doorbell. Holding my hand, we headed down and opened the front door.

"Morning, kids," Mark greeted us.

"Morning, Mark," we said.

"You ready to do this, Bella?"

Clasping Edward's hand tighter, I gave Mark a nod. We left Edward's house and walked over to mine, where we were met by one of Mark's deputies. My door was covered with a plastic sheet and police tape. _Lovely._ Ducking under it, we entered my house. Edward let out a gasp at seeing the living room, while I let loose with the swear words. Whoever the fuck did that was going to pay.

My couch was turned over, the cushions ripped and thrown over the floor. Pictures that I'd had on the mantle over the fireplace, were smashed on the floor. Rage was curling up inside me, ready to let loose.

"Is anything missing?" Mark asked, standing near me.

Blinking away tears of anger and rage, I looked through the carnage. Some of the picture frames were empty, and I let Mark know. He nodded and wrote it down in his little notebook. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed Edward's hand and headed upstairs toward my bedroom. I paused outside it, gripped Edward's hand a little tighter, than pushed the door open. My bed looked like a victim from a horror movie. The bedspread, sheets, and pillows were slashed. My underwear drawer had been rifled through, and I noticed that some of my more naughty lingerie was missing. I was pissed. It might not have been La Perla, but it was still damned expensive. I let Mark know that my lingerie was gone, as well as the journal that I kept in my bedside drawer. I didn't see anything else missing, and as we headed back down I heard a familiar voice.

"Is she okay? Was she hurt?"

I rushed down the stairs and found Esme standing in my living room. I'd totally forgotten about the Sunday Cullen brunch. The minute she saw me, she wrapped me up in a huge hug, rocking us back and forth.

"Oh, you poor girl. Are you okay? Were you hurt at all?"

I shook my head. I explained that it had happened while Edward and I were on our date. She gave me another fierce hug, telling me how glad she was that I was okay.

"You can't stay here until your door is fixed. You can stay at the house with us," she told me, fiercely.

I was taken back by how wonderful she was.

"Mom, Bella's staying with me," he told her, looking at me to confirm. I gave him a nod and a small smile.

Esme gave us a brilliant smile. "You let me know if my boy isn't on his best behavior."

I let out a laugh. "I don't think Edward's capable of misbehaving."

"Sweetie, he's a man. I'm sure he'll misbehave at some time or another. I'm pretty confident that you will keep him in line," she said with a wink.

Edward let out a groan, but shut up when Esme shot him a look. I snickered. I'd have to learn how to do that. Esme turned back to me.

"I know a good contractor who can get you a new door in a few days. I'll give him a call in a minute."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," I protested.

"Don't be silly, dear. You're family. I'll also have him hook you up with a security system as well," she said, before pulling out her phone. She walked out onto my porch, phone at her ear, talking a mile a minute. I immediately saw where Alice got it from.

Turning around, I surveyed the living room. I was going to have to throw out my couch, and that really pissed me off. I'd bought it new when I moved up here. I went into my kitchen and grabbed a garbage bag, a broom, and a dustpan, before heading back to the living room. Edward saw what I was doing and grabbed the broom from me.

"Let me."

I gave him a nod, willing the tears that I felt gathering, not to fall. I started gathering up the stuffing that had come out of the cushions, shoving it into the garbage bag.

"Stupid fucking asshole! When I find out who did this, I'm going to tear his fucking balls off and feed it to him," I ranted, shoving stuff into the bag forcefully, until the tears that I'd kept at bay started to fall. _God dammit!_ I wiped away the tears, angry at myself for letting them fall; angry that I'd let who ever had done this get to me.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around me, and I turned my face into Edward's chest, letting the tears fall. He held me tightly while my tears fell, whispering comforting words into my ear. Finally, my tears stopped, and I pulled away. I was positive I looked a hot mess, but Edward didn't seem to care. He brushed away my tears with a gentle hand, pressing kisses on my cheeks.

"Feel better?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me cry on you," I whispered.

"Anytime. You never have to hide your feelings from me."

Esme had come in at some point and finished what I'd begun. She wrangled Mark and Edward into carrying my broken couch out to the curb, then she swept up the rest of the mess. Mark's friend from the Port Angeles P.D. had shown up and dusted earlier that morning, and Mark let me know that they hoped to find out who broke in soon.

"Chances are good that it was your ex, but I'd like to know for sure," he told me.

After promising to keep me in the loop, Mark left. Esme, Edward, and I re-taped the plastic tarp that was serving as my temporary door, before we headed back to Edwards. Esme insisted that I take a seat on the couch, while she made us some tea.

"My contractor will be over around three today, to take measurements for your door," she said from Edward's kitchen.

I thanked her as she handed me my tea.

"So what are you kids up to today?"

I looked at Edward, and he looked at me, shrugging. We hadn't formulated any plans.

"We might just hang around and watch movies or something," Edward told her.

"Why don't you kids go out for the day? Go out and have some fun. I'll stay here until Ryan arrives. Go. Shoo!" she said ushering us out the door.

We stood on his porch, staring at the door, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Uh ... guess we're going out," Edward said, a bit stunned.

"Guess so," I replied, equally stunned.

"So ... what do you want to do?"

I shrugged. It was cold and snowy, and I had a set of bruised ribs, not to mention a headache had formed.

"Well, we could go to a movie in Port Angeles," he suggested.

"Sure. We can do that."

Walking to his Volvo, he opened my door for me, then closed it before climbing into the driver's side. The ride to Port Angeles was quiet, with the sounds of classical music filling the car. I couldn't even find it in myself to be annoyed by it. We arrived at the move theater and decided on a comedy. I hated romantic movies, and Edward wasn't in the mood for horror. Edward bought our tickets, as well as some candy and popcorn.

"This movie is awful," he whispered in my ear, about twenty minutes into the movie.

I snorted out a giggle. He was right. The movie was horrible. "Maybe it'll get better," I offered.

"One can only hope."

Forty-five minutes later, it still sucked. The acting was a joke, and the jokes were lame. "It hasn't gotten any better. This movie isn't very entertaining," he whispered.

"I know. How about we make our own entertainment?"

"Uh ... okay," he said, sounding a bit uncertain.

I figured that Edward had never made out in a movie theater before, and what better time than now to introduce him to the joys of it. I had purposely made sure that we sat in the last row, despite his objections. Pushing the arm rest that was between us, up, I leaned over, resting my hand on his thigh. I heard his breath hitch and speed up.

I cupped his cheek, turning his face toward mine, before I lightly brushed my lips over his. I slid my hands up to his neck, then delved into his hair, tugging on it. I couldn't get close enough to him. Waves of warmth rushed over me, and my body lit on fire when he let out a low moan. His tongue traced my lips, and I opened, giving him entry. His tongue was tentative at first. His taste drove me insane, and I couldn't resist nipping at his bottom lip. He pulled away, breathing heavy, before diving back in. For a man who wasn't experienced, he was one hell of a kisser. Lost in our kiss, I almost didn't notice his hand running up and down my uninjured side, from my waist to the underside of my breast. My boy was getting bolder. A bout of laughter from others in the theater, broke us apart. We were both breathing heavy, and I could see the blush rising on Edward's cheek.

"Much more entertaining than the movie, huh?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. I've never made out in a theater before. I can definitely say I enjoyed it."

Looking down at his lap, I could see that he'd enjoyed what we'd done. I pretended to focus my attention on the screen, as he discretely adjusted himself. We spent the rest of the movie, sneaking kisses and making fun of the horrible dialogue. We left the theater with smiles on our faces. I'd had a great time, and I was fairly confident that Edward had as well. We opted for dinner at McDonalds, relaxing as we ate.

"That had to be one of the worst movies I've ever seen," he told me, taking a bite of his burger.

"How would you know? We barely even watched it," I said with a smirk, reaching over to wipe away a spot of ketchup on his chin.

He grinned while blushing. "True. I did enjoy that part of the movie the best."

"As did I."

It was close to six by the time we arrived back at Edward's house, and I saw Esme's car was still in the drive. I felt bad that we'd taken off, leaving her to deal with my mess. I said as much to Edward as we got out.

"Bella, my mom kicked us out, remember? She loves decorating, and all aspects that go with it. Don't be surprised when she picks out a new couch for you and redoes your whole house."

We walked into his house and found Esme sitting on his couch watching HGTV. She gave us a beaming smile when she saw us.

"Hi, kids. Did you have a good time?"

We told her that we did.

"I'm glad. Ryan will be able to get your door installed tomorrow. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of picking out a new door for you. I also have some ideas regarding a new couch and bed for you. We can discuss that tomorrow," she informed me.

* * *

><p>Once again, I got to spend the night with an amazing man. Esme had grabbed some clothes for me and laid them out on Edward's bed. Deciding that I preferred Edward's shirt, rather than my boring penguin pajamas, I opted to wear that to bed. As I was brushing my teeth, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Edward poked his head around it, and flashed me a shy smile. How he could still be shy was a mystery to me, but I loved it. And that was when it hit me. I truly loved him. More than I'd ever loved another man before. I had to steady myself against the counter for a moment.<p>

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. Just got dizzy for a second."

He frowned. He was such a worrier. "I'm okay, really," I said, touching his face gently. That seemed to appease him and he left the bathroom. I headed into the bedroom and found Edward lying on his side of the bed. I was glad to see that he'd forgone the shirt. My side of the bed was turned down, and I crawled in, snuggling up against him right away. His arm came around me, pulling me into his side, while his hand traced a pattern on my arm.

"I had a great time today, well, once we were kicked out of the house. Not to say that this morning wasn't enjoyable. I mean—the time that we spent before we went to your house," he rambled out.

"I had a wonderful time, too. I always do when I'm with you."

"I'm so glad that you're in my life," he whispered, so softly I almost didn't hear him.

"Me, too," I said, before placing a kiss over his heart.

I was amazed at how comfortable and how right it felt to share a bed with Edward. My last conscious thought was that we were meant to be.

* * *

><p>Monday was—Monday. Edward and I had forgotten to set the alarm in the morning, so we woke up rushing. I was without my truck while it was in the shop, and I had a minor freak out, trying to figure out how I was going to get to work. Thankfully, Esme showed up and offered to drive me to work. Giving Edward a quick kiss goodbye, I climbed into her pretty little Audi.<p>

"Thank you so much for driving me to work," I told her.

She waved her hand. "It's no problem. Oh! I found the perfect couch for you. I'll email you the link to it."

I thanked her again when she dropped me off in front of Eclipse.

"Bella!" Jake roared, wrapping me up in a gentle hug. "So," he said with a grin.

I raised an eyebrow.

"C'mon, woman. Spill."

"We want details of your date," Seth called from the back.

I sat down on the stool behind the counter and waited for Seth to come out from the back. The minute he did, they both looked at me.

"We ate at Bella Italia, then went back to watch movies at his house," I told them.

They just started at me. "That's it?"

"Yup."

Jake shook his head. "I'm so disappointed in you. I would have thought you'd have at least copped a feel."

"Nah, Edward did that last night."

That got their attention. Both their mouths dropped open. "Uh oh. No way!" Seth said with a grin.

I let out a laugh. "Okay, so he was asleep when he did it, and mortified when he realized it."

"Hold it," Seth said, raising a hand. "You're telling me that you slept with Edward?"

"Slept as in slept. We shared his bed since my house was broken into."

Twin looks of shock and outrage met me. I quickly explained what had happened, and my suspicions that Laurent was behind it. Their faced darkened.

"I knew that bastard was up to something," Jake growled.

"What?"

Seth nodded. "He stopped by Friday, looking for you. Threw a fit when we refused to tell him where you were."

"Why didn't you tell me?," I asked, a bit outraged that they kept me in the dark.

"Sweetie, we knew you were on your date with Edward and didn't want to ruin it. We honestly didn't think Laurent would show up at your door and assault you."

I let out a sigh. I wasn't really angry with them, just at the situation itself, and Laurent. The rest of my day went by quickly. We were incredibly busy for some reason, and I was glad for the distraction it gave me. A little after one, I took my lunch break, opting to eat in the back in our little break room rather than go out. I checked my phone and felt a smile cross my face when I saw I had a text from Edward.

_Thinking of you. Hope you're having a great day!_

I sent him a text back, then spent my lunch reading the latest book by Christie Golden. After my hour was up, I headed back into the shop and stopped upon seeing Seth and Jake in a heated embrace. _Good God!_ I could feel the heat rolling off of them in waves, and was in fear of being scorched.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat.

The boys pulled apart, giving me sheepish smiles. "Sorry, Bells," Jake said, a satisfied smirk gracing his lips.

"Yeah, you look real sorry."

"Oh, uh—" Seth began, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "There's an expo coming up in Seattle in two weeks. We'd like you to go and represent us if you're willing?"

"I'd love to! Are you sure you want me to represent Eclipse, though? Wouldn't it be better if one of you went?"

I was giddy with the prospect of going to the expo.

"Nah. You're a great artist, and we have faith that you'll represent us just fine. Besides," Jake began with a smile, "Seth and I will be out of town that week."

"Oh, really? And where are you going?'

"Hawaii!" Seth practically shouted at me.

"Our anniversary is next week, and Seth's wanted to go to Hawaii forever. I've been saving up for years to be able to take him," Jake said, a soft smile on his lips.

I was super excited for the both of them. I threw my arms around them, hugging them close.

"I want to see lots of pictures! And I want a palm tree, and some sand. Maybe a bit of the ocean as well."

* * *

><p>By the time Esme picked me up, I was wishing I was the one going to Hawaii. The shop had gotten super busy, not to mention it had started snowing again. Esme kept up a constant stream of chatter on the way home, and I didn't mind. When we pulled into my drive, I was surprised to see a bright blue door gracing my house. I loved it immediately and told her so.<p>

"Bella dear, I hope you won't get too mad, but I went ahead and got you a couch," she said, tentatively.

"Oh." I didn't quite know what to say to that. _I hope it isn't ugly as sin_. Climbing out of her car, Esme handed me a set of keys, and a piece of paper with a number written on it. She explained that it was the code to disarm the security system that had been installed. I unlocked my new door, punched in the code, and walked into my living room. There, where my old couch used to be, was an amazing couch. It consisted of purple curves and even deeper purple swirls, with black velvet trimming. It was so me.

"Wow! It's amazing!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around her, giving her a hug.

She let out a laugh, patting my back. "I'm so glad that you like it. I saw it and thought of you."

"How much do I owe you?" I asked, after pulling away.

She waved her hand. "Don't worry about it."

"Esme! I can't let you go and buy me doors and couches."

"Bella, dear, I got a discount on both of them. It was no big deal."

"If it was no big deal, then you'll let me pay for them."

Realizing that I wasn't going to let it go, Esme caved. "Fine. You can write me a check for fifty dollars."

"What? Esme, I'm not stupid. I know that they all cost more than fifty bucks."

Esme crossed her arms over her chest, shooting me a mom look. "I won't take anything more than that."

Letting out a huff, I dug into my purse and pulled out my checkbook. I wrote her a check for fifty, then made a vow to find a way to pay her back. A while later, Esme left, after making me promise to come to dinner on Thursday. I sat down on my new couch, enjoying the feel of it. It was fabulous. I shot a text off to Edward, letting him know that I was home, and to come see my new couch.

A knock on my door alerted me that he was there. I opened the door, only to see Chief Hunter, Mark, standing at my door. He did not look like a happy man, and I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"May I come in?" he asked.

I opened the door wider, allowing him to pass through. I offered him a seat on my new couch, before sitting down opposite him.

"Bella, I've got some news," he began.

* * *

><p>an: There you go. So ... did we enjoy this chapter at all? If so leave me a little something. You know, a slice of pumpkin pie, a review, maybe RPattz. You know, whatever.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own lots and lots of leftovers, but no Twilight.

A/N: Hope everyone that celebrated Thanksgiving had a good one. Mine was pretty good. Have lots of leftover turkey that I'll be eating for the next month because my husband saw fit to buy a 20 lb turkey for 5 people. Why? Who knows? He's male. I'm currently sitting at 44,000 words for Nano, so only 6k more to go, and I'm done. Woot! Anyway, thank you to all who read and reviewed last chapter. Miss Chylex28, thank you so much for being you and fixing my errors.

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter. ~Thomas Helm**

* * *

><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

_"Edward?" she purred._

_"Yes?"_

_"I want you," she whispered into my ear, before nibbling on it. _

_I rolled over, cradling myself between her thighs, and gazed deep into her eyes before crushing my lips against hers. She let out a throaty moan, her hands tugging the strands of my hair. Bracing myself on one hand, I ran the other down her side, giving her hip a gentle squeeze, before running back up and across her chest. Pulling my lips away from hers, I pressed a kiss over her heart before telling her, "I love you."_

_"I love you, too," she whispered before pressing her lips to mine again. _

_Our tongues dueled together, each seeking dominance. My hand made its way to her breast, cupping it, and giving it a gentle squeeze as I moaned out her name and thrust gently against her._

_"My beautiful tattooed angel," I told her, and then she started giggling. _

_Why was she giggling?_

I woke up and found myself pressed up against Bella, my hand on her breast. I was mortified! She must think I was nothing more than a rutting animal. I quickly jerked my hand away, stumbling over my apology. Bella told me it was no big deal, but that didn't ease my embarrassment.

She curled up next to me, and I let myself enjoy the feeling of her body next to mine. Then she went and asked me if I'd had a nice dream. Did she know? She must. When I asked her why, she said, "Oh, no reason. You just seemed quite happy to see me this morning." She then settled her gaze on my groin. Immediately, I covered myself, which set her off into a fit of giggles. I wasn't sure what she found so funny, but I was beyond mortified. After her giggles died down, we talked a bit, then went to eat breakfast.

All too soon, Mark arrived, and we headed over to look at her house. Mom was there and sort of took control of everything. After Mark left, Bella and I went to Port Angeles and had another date. I loved spending time with her and was thrilled that she wanted to be with me. We ended up going to the movies, and I can honestly say that it was an experience. I'd never made out in the back row of a theater before, and I greatly enjoyed the experience. I even got the nerve to run my hand closer to her breast, like I had in my dream. Being with Bella made me a bit more confident in who I was.

* * *

><p>Monday was definitely a Monday. I'd forgotten to set the alarm, and Bella and I woke up in a rush. Mom arrived to drive Bella to work, something I was extremely grateful for, as was Bella. I didn't have time to walk to work, so I hopped into my Volvo and headed toward the library.<p>

"Hello, Edward," Mrs. Cope said when I walked in the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Cope."

"How is Bella holding up?"

The joys of life in a small town. I was fairly confident that Mrs. Cope didn't even know Bella, but she obviously knew what had happened.

"She's fine. A bit shaken up."

Mrs. Cope went on to mutter about what a shame it was, and what the world was coming to. Ignoring her, I went about doing my morning tasks. By the time Angela and Jasper arrived, I was done with my work and sitting behind the desk with a book.

"Morning, Eddie!" Jasper called out, as he headed toward the break room to put away his stuff.

"So I hear you and Miss Bella are getting pretty serious."

I shrugged and attempted to keep my face neutral. "We're exclusive."

"Nice," he said, giving me a fist bump.

"Who's exclusive?" Angela asked, sitting down in the empty chair next to me.

"Bella and Edward."

Angela gave me a big smile. "That's wonderful! She seems so nice. I'm so happy for you," she said.

I was happy for me, too. Around lunch time, I sent a text off to Bella, hoping that she wouldn't think I was too sappy. She texted me back a while later, and I spent the rest of my lunch hour with a big smile on my face. By three though, the smile was gone, replaced with a scowl. Our public computers had gone down, and I was now dealing with a small group of irate patrons.

"This is such bull! I have stuff I need to do, and now I can't!" one guy yelled, getting in my face.

I really hated confrontation of any kind, but this guy was getting on my last nerve.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there is nothing I can do at the moment. I've called our IT support, and they are working on fixing the problem as quickly as possible. You can either stick around and wait, or go home and come back later."

Leaning over the counter, he snarled at me. "I don't want to wait. I need to use the computer, NOW!"

Taking a deep breath, I tried to hold the anger at bay, but wasn't very successful. "Well, then you'll have to find somewhere else to use it."

"Excuse me?"

Before I could say anything else, Mrs. Cope came out from the back.

"Is there a problem here?" she asked.

"Yes!" the man growled out. "I need to use a computer, but _he_ says that they're down, and I can't."

"Well, I don't see what the problem is. Our computers are down, and we don't know when they'll be up. I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to wait."

Furious, the man stalked off and out the door. _Stupid jerk. _Thankfully, the rest of my day went by quickly, and I couldn't wait to get home and see my girl. _My girl._ A goofy smile graced my face, and it got even bigger when I got a text from Bella telling me to come over.

I pulled into my drive and threw the car in park, eager to see Bella. As I climbed out of my car, I noticed Mark's cruiser in her drive. Heading over, I knocked on the bright blue door that now graced her house. A few moments later the door opened, and Bella gestured me in, after giving me a hug and a quick peck on the lips.

"Hi, Edward. Mark just arrived to talk to me," she told me, leading me into her living room.

"Hello, my Bella," I told her, following her in. I saw Mark sitting on an extremely purple couch that now graced Bella's living room. I gave him a smile and said hello.

"Hello, Edward. I just arrived to talk to Bella about what we've learned," he said, as I took a seat next to Bella on the purple monstrosity.

"What have you learned?" Bella asked him.

"We now know for sure that Laurent was the one who broke into your house. However, we have been unable to locate him. His truck was located on the side of the road outside of town. Have you heard from him lately?"

"No."

Mark nodded. "It could be he left town since he's wanted."

"Not without his truck," Bella interjected. "His truck is his baby. He loves it. He wouldn't just leave it behind. Trust me on that."

"Okay. It could be it broke down, and he hiked into Port Angeles. We'll keep an eye out for him, and I want you to do the same. If he contacts you, call me right away."

Bella and I both nodded in agreement. Mark left soon after, and Bella cuddled up next to me on her couch.

"What do you think of my new couch?"

Did she want me to be honest about it? "Uh ... it's comfortable."

She let out a small giggle. "You hate it, don't you?"

"Not really. It's just a bit—uh ... it's you," I said, burying my face in her hair.

She let out a husky laugh. "You're right. It is me. Your mom did a great job picking it out. I absolutely love it. Want to help me break it in?"

"Uh ... what did you have in mind?" I asked, a bit curious as to what breaking in a couch detailed.

She gave me a mischievous grin before pushing me backward until I was prone on the couch. Quickly, she laid herself over me, bringing her lips to mine. Pulling back, she flicked her tongue against my bottom lip, before coaxing my lips to part. Willingly, I granted her access to my mouth and let out a moan when her tongue swept in. She settled in a bit more, straddling me, getting herself comfortable. The feeling of her body rubbing against mine, had me letting out a low growl.

"Hmmm ... I love when you do that," she murmured, breaking away from my lips to press kisses against my neck.

It was as if a beast within me was unleashed. I reached down and gripped her hips, holding onto them while I thrust upward, grinding myself into her. She let out a throaty moan, before licking my neck and giving me a gentle bite. Flipping us over, I attacked her collarbone, licking and nibbling on it. My hand that had been gripping her hip, slowly began to move across her ribs, up toward her breasts. I was terrified, and I knew that she could feel my hand shaking. Her hand reached out and covered mine, bringing it up to her breast.

Touching breasts was a whole new experience for me. I'd never felt them before. Not really. I'd done my best not to stare at them a lot, and the few I had seen, thanks to Emmett and his porn, were overly large and fake looking. But Bella's—Bella's were perfect. At least the one I was fondling was. It fit perfectly into the palm of my hand. I was clueless as to what I was supposed to be doing.

"Show me what to do," I pleaded softly, a bit embarrassed that I had to ask.

I was rewarded with a beautiful smile. Her hand covered mine again, and I watched as she showed me how she liked to be touched. As I gently squeezed and pinched, her eyes fluttered closed, and the most delectable sounds were coming out of her mouth. I don't think I'd ever been more turned on in my life.

I leaned down to place a kiss upon her cloth covered breast, when a knocking on the door interrupted us. Reluctantly, I removed myself from her, and held out a hand to help her up. Her hair was a disaster, and I did my best to smooth it down, but probably only succeeded in making it worse. Batting my hands away, she threw it into a messy ponytail, straightened her clothing, and went to open the door.

Cautiously, she opened the door. There, on the other side, stood Alice and Jasper.

"Bella! Hi! I hope you don't mind that we stopped by. We were in the neighborhood and thought maybe the two of you would like to go out for dinner," my sister babbled, inviting herself in.

Jasper shot us an apologetic look, mouthing _sorry_ to me. I shook my head. I was used to Alice's behavior, but Bella was not.

"Sure, please come in. How are you Bella? I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Bella said sarcastically, as she closed the door behind them.

She looked less than pleased to see my sister and Jasper, and at the moment, I felt the same way. Alice danced into the living room letting out a gasp upon seeing the couch.

"Oh, I knew the couch would look fabulous! When Mom described it to me, I knew it would be perfect for you," she said, plopping down on said couch, not seeing the annoyed look on Bella's face.

I was fairly sure that Bella hadn't completely forgiven Alice yet, and Alice was not getting into Bella's good graces by stopping by unannounced.

"Oh, look!" Alice said excitedly, showing off a diamond ring on her left hand.

I'd known that Jasper was going to ask her, but hadn't realized he'd done it already.

"Congrats, Jasper!" I said, clapping him on his shoulder. Bella congratulated them as well.

"I'm so excited. Mom and I have already started planning the wedding. You both have to be in it," Alice rambled. "Anyway, I wanted to take you all out to dinner to celebrate my upcoming wedding. Please!" she begged.

All I really wanted to do was spend more time with my girl, but my sister was giving me that puppy dog look that she knew I was unable to resist. Bella, on the other hand, was a lot tougher than I was.

"Alice, as happy as I am for you, I was hoping for a nice quiet evening here at home. Last week was a bit trying, and—"

"Oh, that's more than fine. We can stay in and order something," Alice interrupted.

Looking over, I noticed that Bella's jaw was clenched.

"Alice? Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked, gesturing for her to follow me into Bella's kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, I turned to her. "Alice, Bella and I were hoping to have a quiet night alone. The past week has been rough on her. She just wants some downtime. Can we do this another night?"

Alice put on the full pout, her lower lip quivering, and her eyes welling up. I refused to fall for it. "No, Alice. Stop acting like a child. Bella and I want to spend a quiet night alone."

"You've had plenty of quiet nights alone," she whined.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I shot her a glare. It was times like this that I realized Alice had some maturing to do. "No, Alice. Bella wants to stay in with just me, and that's what we're going to do."

She scowled at me and actually stomped her foot, like the small child she was acting like. "She's hogging you. I never see you anymore."

_Seriously? She was going that route?_ "Don't even try to pull that. If you're not at work, you're busy shopping or being with Jasper. I see you every Friday when you do story hour, not to mention Sunday brunches. Bella and I are in a new relationship, and we're enjoying our time together. Why can't you be happy for me?"

"I am happy for you. I—"

We were interrupted by Bella and Jasper coming into the kitchen. Bella still looked annoyed, while Jasper looked apologetic.

"Babe. Let's go. We'll get together with Edwella later this week."

"Edwella? Who is that?" I asked, confused.

Jasper grinned at me. "I combined your names. It was either Edwella or Belward."

I just looked at him. Something was wrong with him, I was sure of it. Bella let out a snort.

"Should we call you guys Jalice or perhaps Alisper?"

"Whatever. I'm cool with both," he said, shooting her a grin before tugging Alice toward the door.

"Sorry for interrupting your evening. Continue what you were doing," he said with a wink, shutting the door behind him.

After they left, I sat down on her couch with a sigh. Sometimes Alice wore me out. Bella flopped down next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You're sister is annoying."

I chuckled a bit at her statement. "Yes, she can be. She tends to be selfish. I think part of it stems from her being the youngest, and the only girl."

"Could be. I hope you didn't want to go out, because honestly, I just want to stay in and curl up with you."

"That's perfectly fine with me. What do you want to do for dinner?" I asked, twirling a strand of her hair.

"Whatever."

"What kind of answer is that? Do you want me to cook something, do you want to cook something, do you want someone else to cook something and deliver it?"

She shrugged. "I don't want to cook, I know that."

"Alright then, let me go see what you have, and I'll cook."

Leaving her on the couch, I headed into her kitchen and opened up her fridge. Staring into it, I saw some deli turkey and sliced cheese. I figured I could make a turkey and swiss melt without burning the place down. I grabbed the butter, turkey, and cheese and set them on the table. I then grabbed the bread, buttered it, and turned the stove on. I had slid the first sandwich onto a plate, when Bella came in.

She walked over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist, pressing a kiss onto my shoulder.

"What'cha making?"

"Grilled turkey and swiss. That okay?"

"Sounds delicious. Want some chips with it?"

I nodded. Not much later, we were sitting on the couch, eating our sandwiches and chips, watching some cheesy movie about vampires.

"This movie is awful. They can't act," I grumbled between bites of food.

"It's not that bad. Well, okay. Yes, it is. At least the lead guy is kind of cute."

I almost choked on my chips. "What? Are you serious? That guy?"

She gave me a smile, then leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek. "He's nowhere as cute as you. Actually, you kind of look a like. You both have that crazy sex hair going on."

"I—wait. What? Sex hair? What the heck is sex hair?"

She let out a throaty laugh. "You know? Sex hair. Hair that looks like you've just been well and truly fucked."

I just stared at her. She thought I had sex hair? Huh. I couldn't tell you why, but that made me feel kind of cool. I returned my attention to the screen and groaned.

"Really? He sparkles? This is lame. What kind of vampire sparkles?"

"Edward! Be quiet," she told me, while laughing.

For some reason, Bella liked this movie. Since I liked her, I tried to sit quietly and not comment. I let out a sigh of relief when the movie ended. It had been truly horrible. Sparkling vampires and werewolves were not my thing.

"See. It wasn't so bad."

I looked at her like she was crazy. "Bella, that was the worst movie ever! I mean, really? The main vampire is completely emo, the main girl can't act to save her life, and the blond vampire guy doesn't have a single line. He just looks constipated."

She swatted at me. "It wasn't that bad."

"Uh huh."

"Nuh uh," she argued, before launching herself at me, digging her fingers into my ribs.

I was extremely ticklish and couldn't help the peals of laughter that erupted.

"St—stop!" I shouted, trying to get away from her. Her fingers were quite strong, and she was relentless in her assault.

"Not until you admit the movie wasn't that bad."

"F—fine! It wasn't that bad!" I cried.

She sat down on me, a smirk on her lips. Leaning up, I planted a kiss on them, wiping that smirk away. I still felt a bit awkward initiating a kiss, but I was slowly growing more confident. The kiss deepened for a moment, before we parted. I knew that it was getting late, and that we should be heading to bed. I frowned, realizing that she would be sleeping in her own bed tonight.

"Hey. What's that frown for?" she asked me, softly.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing. Tell me."

Like I could refuse her anything. "I was just thinking about how you'll be sleeping in your own bed tonight, and I'll be in mine."

"Well, you could stay over if you wanted," she suggested, nipping my lower lip.

I liked that idea, but didn't want her to think that I was pressuring her for, well, you know. Sex. Being who I was, I told her that.

"Oh, Edward. I know that. You're not the kind of guy who uses a girl for sex. Did you want to go home and pack a bag so you don't have to do the walk of shame?"

What the heck was the walk of shame? Then it dawned on me. Oh. I couldn't imagine my parents would be pleased if they heard from my neighbors that I was walking out of Bella's house, early in the morning, wearing the clothes I wore yesterday. I told her I'd be right back, and ran over to my house. Unlocking the door, I ran upstairs to my room and threw some clothes into an overnight bag. I grabbed my toothbrush, deodorant, and body wash as well. Locking my door, I ran back over to Bella's.

She let me in and told me to make myself comfortable. Mom had bought Bella some new pillows for her bed, and Bella had thrown out the torn and ripped sheets. The sheets adorning her bed now, were soft and black. I set my bag on the end of her bed, looking around. There was a lacy bra sitting on the top of her dresser, and some panties peeking out from a drawer. I drew in a deep breath, sitting down on the edge of her bed. I wasn't sure why I was nervous. She'd slept in my bed, so what was the big deal about sleeping in hers?

"Bathroom's free," she said, coming into the room.

I looked up at the sound of her voice, and my eyes almost rolled out of my head. She was wearing a thin little tank top without a bra and a pair of panties. That was it. I was sure I looked like an idiot with my mouth hanging open. She acted like it was no big deal as she set the alarm.

"Something wrong?"

I finally found my voice. "No," I squeaked out before fleeing, grabbing my bag and escaping to the bathroom.

I shut the door behind me, resting my back against it. Seeing her in that had resulted in a small problem. Well, I wouldn't say it was small, but—oh, God. I'd just channeled my inner Emmett. I knew that his being my brother was detrimental to my mental health. Sighing, I stripped out of my clothes and put on my pajama bottoms. I almost wished I was at home so I could take care of the issue I was having. I wasn't about to desecrate Bella's bathroom by doing that. I brushed my teeth, used the bathroom, washed my hands, and headed back to her room. She'd turned off the overhead light, leaving a small lamp next to her bed, on. She patted the spot next to her, and I climbed in, turning the light off.

It was weird being in someone else's bed, but I was sure I'd get used to it quickly. The minute I lay down, Bella wrapped herself around me. She threw her leg over mine, her arm around my waist, and pressed her chest against mine. She whispered goodnight and pressed a kiss to my bare chest. Her hand traveled the length of my torso, stopping to rub gently across my pecs, then down to twirl around the dusting of hair near my naval. I was still a bit worked up from earlier, and I knew if she didn't stop, it was only going to get worse. I reached out and grabbed her hand, bringing it to my lips and pressing a kiss to it.

She pouted a bit. "Sorry. Was I bothering you?"

"No. I was enjoying it. A bit too much," I said, knowing that if the lights were on, she would see my blush.

"Oh. Oh! Sorry to make things—hard for you."

I let out a groan. This bold, brash woman was going to be the death of me. She snickered, burying her face against my chest. I cradled her to me, and was startled when I felt her tongue lick my chest. Just as she did it again, her hand traveled south, and she stroked me gently through my pants. I let out a gasp. Immediately, she retracted her hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm moving too fast, aren't I?" she asked quietly.

My brain was all confused. Part of me didn't want her to stop, while the rational side of me was telling me things were moving too quickly.

"I—ugh. Why is this so difficult?" I muttered. Gathering my thoughts, I tried again. "I want nothing more than to let you continue, but you're right. I think it might be a bit fast for me. Although, that being said, I really enjoy your touch and enjoy touching you."

She propped herself up on her elbow and stared down at me. "I love touching you, and feel free to touch me whenever you want, where ever you want."

I gulped.

"But, I am sorry for rushing you. I know that this is all new to you, and I never want to make you uncomfortable."

I reached over and touched her cheek. She was so beautiful and kind. I pulled her into my arms once more and finally fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up confused and disoriented. It took a minute for me to realize where I was. _Bella's bed._ I was in Bella's bed. I could just picture Emmett's face if he ever found out. He'd give me a fist bump and a _way to go, bro_. Stretching, I glanced at the clock and noticed I still had a few moments before the alarm went off. Bella was lying on her side, so I cuddled up behind her, holding her tight.

"Morning," she said in a muffled voice.

"Good morning, my Bella."

My morning time with Bella flew by, and before I knew it, I had to leave for work. I had forgotten my mom was picking up Bella until her truck was fixed, so we both got a bit of a shock when I opened Bella's door and found my mom on the porch.

"Well, good morning, my boy."

My face was bright red. I looked like a kid who had got caught doing something wrong.

"Good morning, Mom," I said, trying to sound nonchalant, but probably failing.

"What brings you over to Bella's so early?"

"Oh. Uh—" I had no idea what to say, so I just rubbed the back of my neck. Mom gave me a little smirk.

"Well, go on. You don't want to be late for work," she said, practically shoving me out the door.

Bella closed the door behind her, after setting the alarm and locking it. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips, then climbed into my mom's car, waving goodbye as they left. I stood on her porch, watching them drive away, before I realized that I needed to leave for work. My day was slow and dreary, much like the weather, and I was more than ready for it to be over.

I had just sat down for lunch, when Jasper came into the break room to tell me that my dad was there to see me.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Edward. Uh ... is there somewhere we can talk?"

I was a bit perplexed. "Sure. I was having lunch in the break room."

We got to the room, and Dad sat down across the table from me.

"So, what brings you here? Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yes. Everything's fine as far as I know. Your mother wanted me to talk to you."

A horrible thought crossed my mind. _No. _

"Your mother told me she saw you leaving Bella's house this morning and wanted me to talk to you about—"

I held up a hand. "Stop. Just please stop, Dad. I don't need this talk again. I know. Be safe. Got it. Good lord, we're not even doing that yet. We're still getting to know one another. Please, please, leave it alone."

"Fair enough, son. I have to say that I'm pleased that you're with Bella. She's a wonderful girl, and we love her."

I loved her too, but wasn't ready to say it out loud yet. I was afraid she didn't feel the same or would think it was too early to be uttering those words. The rest of the day passed as slowly as it had begun, and I was itching to get home to Bella. I pulled into my drive and noticed Bella standing at her mailbox. There was a frown on her pretty face, and I knew instantly that something was wrong.

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><p>an: And there we have it. As always let me know what you thought. I wouldn't say no to reviews or pumpkin pie. But no turkey. I have plenty.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Sadly, Twilight is not mine. Nor is Rob Pattinson. I think I'll go cry in a corner now.

A/N: I'm proud to say that I successfully finished my first Nanowrimo. Wrote 50, 038 words and my novel still isn't done. But I've put it on the back burner for now. I'm posting this a bit early since I'll be out of town this weekend, but I'll do my best to reply to your reviews while I'm gone. Just got back from a holiday party and the alcohol has kicked in making me sleepy. So I'm off to bed. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**My body is a journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist ~ Johnny Depp**

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><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

It had been an interesting day to say the least. I had completely forgotten that Esme was going to be picking me up for work again, and poor Edward just about got the shock of his life when he opened my door and found his mom on the porch. He turned bright red, not even able to answer her when she asked him why he was here so early. I did my best to quell my smirk, but quickly got rid of it, when Esme turned her gaze on me.

I quickly climbed into her car, avoiding her gaze. It wasn't so funny now. She probably thought I was corrupting her sweet baby boy, and there was no way I could deny it. I waited as she climbed behind the wheel. We had just hit the 101, when she started talking.

"How are you holding up, dear?"

"I'm okay. It's a bit scary, but I'm okay."

She nodded, pausing, as if to think about what she was going to say next. I was afraid that she was going to have issues with Edward being at my place, so I spoke up.

"Esme? I hope you aren't upset that Edward was at my place this morning."

She looked startled. "Why would I be? He's a grown man, and he couldn't have found a nicer girl to be with than you."

I let out a breath I hadn't even realized that I'd been holding. Esme let out a laugh.

"Were you that worried about it?'

I shrugged. "A bit. Mainly, I was worried for Edward's sake."

"What you and Edward do, is your own business. All that I ask is that you be safe."

"Of course."

The rest of the ride was spent discussing Esme's plans for redecorating her house. I thanked her when she dropped me off, then strolled into Eclipse.

"Aren't you a little old for your mom to be dropping you off?" Embry, one of Jake and Seth's friends, called out to me as I walked in the door.

I flipped him the bird, then went about getting my station set up.

"That's her boyfriend's mom," Jake corrected, coming out from the back.

Embry hopped up on the counter. "Oh, yeah? Who's the lucky guy?"

"Little Cullen," Jake told him.

Embry's mouth dropped open. "No fucking way! Little Cullen? How the hell did that happen?"

I bristled at his tone. "What do you mean, how did that happen?" I asked as I stalked toward him.

Embry threw his hands up in the air. "Chill, Bella. I didn't mean anything by it. I just never expected you to hook up with a guy like Edward. That Laurent guy that was hanging around La Push the other day seemed more your type."

At the mention of Laurent's name, Jake and Seth whirled around.

"What do you know about Laurent?" Jake asked before I could.

"Nothing much, dude. He was hanging around the rez a few days ago, asking questions about some girl he was supposed to hook up with."

"What girl?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Some blond chick with huge knockers."

_Rosalie._ Why would he be hooking up with her? And why was he looking for her in La Push? None of it made any sense.

"He didn't tell you her name?"

"Nah. Just that they'd been chatting for a while, and she had said to meet him at First Beach. I don't think she ever showed though."

My mind was whirling. I was almost positive that the person Rosalie had been talking to was Laurent, but what I couldn't figure out, was why. Or how. How in the world did they meet?

After Embry left, I told Jake and Seth my speculation and concern. They both suggested that I call the Chief and let him know.

"Chief Hunter."

"Hiya, Chief. It's Bella."

"Hello, Bella. I'm sorry to say I don't have anything more to tell you. We still haven't found Laurent."

"I might be able to help. I was just talking to Embry Call, and he mentioned that Laurent had been hanging around the rez. He was waiting for some girl that he'd been talking to."

"Does Embry know who the girl was?"

"No," I told him. "But I have an idea. Granted, it's nothing but speculation."

"Who?"

"Rosalie Cullen," I said quietly.

"You mean Rosalie Hale, Emmett's wife?" Mark asked, clearly surprised.

"Yeah. Like I said, it's pure speculation, but she loathes me for some reason."

I went on to explain that I'd heard her talking on the phone and how she couldn't stand me. He told me he'd look into it. I felt a bit better now that he knew. A little before eleven, my first appointment of the day walked in. He was a huge, burly man who looked like he'd done some hard time. He was getting a tat on his forearm of a Celtic tattoo that he'd drawn up.

Most of my clients are pretty quiet, but once in a while you got one who just talked and talked, and that was this guy.

"Did you know that tattooing has been used as a way of smuggling secret messages across enemy lines in times of war?"

"Really? I hadn't know that," I told him.

"Yep, and urine was sometimes used to mix the coloring matter of early tattoos," he continued.

"Ugh. That's gross," I told him, shuddering at the thought.

By the time I was done with him, I'd learned more about tattooing than I had ever wanted to know. I had lunch with Leah and Sam and shared my newfound knowledge with them. Not that they really cared.

"So how are things going with you?" Leah asked over burgers.

"Things are going pretty well. Although the whole Laurent bullshit tends to put a damper on things," I told her.

I'd forgotten that she and Sam didn't know all of it, so I quickly explained things.

"Whoa. That is some crazy ass shit! Do you think Rosalie is in cahoots with Laurent?" Sam asked me.

"I don't know. Maybe. She sure seems to hate me."

Leah rolled her eyes. "Please. That bitch hates everyone. I don't know how Emmett puts up with her."

I didn't either. Emmett was such a sweet guy. It just didn't make sense that he'd fall for someone like Rosalie. Maybe she had blackmailed him into marriage or something.

"Alright. Enough about the crazy bitch. I want to know more about you and Edward," Sam said.

I rolled my eyes. I had known that was coming.

"So?" Sam asked.

"So, what?"

"Good lord, woman. I want to know all. Give me details!" she whined.

I let out a laugh. "Details? Details of what exactly?"

"Don't make me hurt you, Swan. Details about you and Mr. Cullen. I want to know how things are going."

"Yeah," Leah interjected. "Have you deflowered him yet?"

I choked on the sip of Coke that I'd just taken. Sam pounded me on the back until my airway cleared.

"Jesus, Leah! It's none of your business," I told her.

She and Sam shared a look. "Obviously not, then. So, what _have_ you done?"

"None of your business. What Edward and I do is private."

"Spill," Sam demanded.

"All you need to know, is that we're happy and taking things as they come."

"Oh, so you've had him cumming, have you?" Leah snickered.

"You're such a teenage boy," I told her, rolling my eyes.

She continued to stare at me with puppy dog eyes until I finally gave in. "Fine! There's been some groping."

Both of their eyes lit up. "Oh, really? Who was groping who?" Sam asked.

I let out a sigh. "We both groped each other. And that's all I'm saying!"

After lunch, I headed back to the shop, where I spent the rest of the afternoon setting up appointments and doing inventory. Esme came and picked me up and took me over to Tony's Body Shop, where my truck had been repaired. As much as I loved Esme, it was nice to have Clementine, my truck, back. She'd been through a lot. Sliding behind the wheel, I let out a little sigh. It was nice to be mobile again and not have to rely on someone else.

An hour later, I pulled into my drive, noticing that Edward wasn't home yet. Climbing out of Clementine, I headed toward my mailbox. Opening it up, I pulled out the usual crap. Bill, junk, junk, bill, letter. I frowned as I stared at the envelope in my hand. I couldn't think of anyone who would write me one. I didn't have any grandparents, I didn't communicate with anyone in prison, and my parents would sooner send me an email than a letter. I was pulled out of my reverie by the sound of Edward's car pulling into his drive.

"What's wrong?" he asked the minute he got out of his car.

"Oh, nothing, really."

He frowned. "Are you sure?"

I held the envelope out for him to see. My name was written in blue ink on the back and there was no return address.

"No idea who it's from?" he asked, concern evident on his face.

"Nope," I told him as the sky opened up and snow began to fall. I scowled at the sky, then gestured for Edward to follow me inside. I unlocked the door and turned the alarm off as we stepped inside. I tossed my keys into a fugly pottery bowl that Renee had made, then set the bills and junk on the table. Holding the envelope with the tips of my fingers, I followed Edward into my living room.

"Should we call Mark?" Edward asked, clearly concerned about what the letter might hold.

"Let's open it first. I'd hate to call him out here for nothing."

The look on Edward's face told me he didn't agree with me, but he let it go. Using the tip of a pen and just my fingernails, I carefully opened the envelope. A letter fell onto the top of the coffee table. I carefully unfolded it using the pen, and the paper opened up. Penned in blue ink was a letter.

_Babe,_

_I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say other than that. I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last time I was here. I never meant to hurt you. Being in New York changed me. Made me a different person. One I never wanted to become. After I left New York, I thought I could repair the damage that I had done to our relationship, but it's obvious that you've moved on. I only hope that you can forgive me for the pain I have caused you. I'll always love you._

_Laurent_

"Laurent didn't write this," I informed Edward.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "First off, Laurent would never apologize. He always believes he's right. Second of all, he never writes letters. He would've sooner sent me a text than write this."

Edward got up, went into my kitchen, and came back with a ziplock bag. He had me put the letter in it before sealing it. Someone had watched a few episodes of CSI.

"We should show this to Mark."

We walked out to Clementine and climbed in, and I drove us over to the station. We caught Mark right as he was leaving.

"What's up, kids?"

I handed Mark the letter, explaining that it was in my mailbox, and my belief that Laurent hadn't written it.

"Are you sure, Bella?"

"Pretty sure. Like I told Edward, Laurent never apologizes or writes letters. It sort of looks like his handwriting, but I couldn't say for sure."

Mark took the letter from me, and told us he'd keep us informed if he learned anything new. We left the station, and I asked Edward what he wanted to do for dinner.

"I don't know. We could pick up some subs from the little sandwich shop around the corner," he suggested.

Fifteen minutes later, we were settled on my couch, eating our subs and watching Willy Wonka.

"When I was seven, I wanted to be an oompa lumpa," he told me, a faint blush on his cheeks.

I tried to hold back the laughter that threatened to erupt. "Really? An oompa lumpa? Why not Willy Wonka?"

"I was short and have this reddish hair. It made more sense to be an oompa lumpa."

My boy was weird, there was no denying that, but at least he was cute. Done with dinner, we stay cuddled on the couch until a little after eleven. Standing up, he stretched his arms over his head, causing his shirt to ride up a bit and give me a glimpse of his lean torso. Leaning in, I planted a kiss near his belly button, before nipping his hip. Reaching down, he hauled me up and pressed his lips to mine. I was a bit startled by the fierceness of his kiss, but quickly reciprocated. His tongue stroked mine, before plunging into the depths of my mouth. I let out a moan as he devoured me. The man had some serious kissing skills. When our breathing was labored, our lungs, begging for air, we finally parted. He nipped on my bottom lip as he pulled away, causing another moan to escape me.

"Wow. What brought that on?" I asked in between gulps of air.

He gave me a sheepish smile. "No idea, but I quite enjoyed it."

"Oh, yeah. Me, too," I told him, wrapping him up in a hug.

Immediately, his arms wrapped around me, and he buried his face in my hair. I was pretty sure he was huffing me. Reluctantly, we pulled apart, and I walked him to the door. I didn't want him to leave.

"You could stay if you wanted to," I told him as he opened the front door.

He turned toward me and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "Believe me I want to, but—"

I placed a hand on his cheek, bringing his gaze back to my mine. "But what?"

His cheeks were flushed a dull red. "It was a bit embarrassing to be seen coming out of your house by my mom."

"Your mom is fine with whatever you do. Trust me. You're twenty-three, Edward. You can do what you want. If you want to stay, then stay. If you want some downtime to yourself and want to go home, you won't hurt my feelings. I promise."

He gave me a sweet smile. "I really do want to stay, but I'm also afraid of things moving too fast. Being with you scares me sometimes. There are moments when I feel as though I have no control over my body, and it takes everything in me, not to attack you."

I flashed him a grin. My man had just admitted that he wanted to attack me. "Feel free to have your wicked way with me anytime you want."

"Bella," he groaned.

I let out a laugh. "It's okay, Edward. Really, it is. I have to keep myself from ravishing you as well. Just remember that I'll never do anything you don't want to do. If you feel things are going too fast, we can slow down. Or, if you feel we're moving too slow, we can speed things up. Just let me know."

He nodded before pulling me into his arms and placing a gentle kiss on my lips. "Thanks, Bella."

"So, are you staying or going?" I asked, leaning up to kiss him softly.

He gave me that panty-melting smile. "Staying."

"Excellent. Did you want to run home and grab some clothes so you don't have to do the walk of shame?" I joked.

I giggled as the blush swept over his cheeks. "Yes," he said so low I almost didn't hear him.

"Why don't you keep some clothes here?"

His head snapped up. "Uh—what?"

"I'm moving too fast again, aren't I?"

"Nnno. You just took me by surprise."

I studied him carefully, and he didn't seem upset by my suggestion. Just flustered. "It would make sense. That way whenever you stayed the night, you wouldn't have to run home first."

He nodded. "Good idea. I'll be right back," he promised before heading over to his house.

Ten minutes later, he was back with a duffel bag. While he was gone, I had made some room in my dresser for him, so he'd have somewhere to put his stuff. Once in my room, I showed him where he could put his clothes. I got a tingly feeling in my stomach when I saw him put his boxers next to my panties. I shook it off, not quite ready to delve too deeply on it. We took turns brushing our teeth and using the bathroom before climbing into my bed together.

"This feels right," he said softly, as he wrapped me up in his arms.

"It does," I agreed, enjoying the feeling of his arms around me, and his chest pressed into my back.

He pressed a kiss to my shoulder, mumbled something, and was fast asleep before I could ask him what he'd said. Looking over my shoulder at him, I knew without a doubt, that I was so in love with him, it hurt.

"I love you, Edward Cullen," I whispered before closing my eyes.

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><p>The rest of the week passed quickly and without incident. On Saturday, Mark stopped by to inform me of what he had learned.<p>

"Hi, Bella. How are you doing?" he asked as I let him in.

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"Doing alright. I wanted to stop by and let you know what we've learned," he said, sitting down on my couch.

I sat down next to him and waited for the news. I wasn't sure if it would be good or bad, but either way, I wanted to know.

"Well, you know that we had found Laurent's truck, right?"

I nodded.

"He still hasn't come forward to claim it. It could be that he knows we're looking for him, and that's one reason why he isn't coming forward," Mark began.

"Did you want me to try calling him?" I asked. "He would most likely answer if he saw it was me calling."

Mark nodded. "We've thought about that. It's a possibility, but I hate to put you in that position. Using you as bait."

"Honestly, Mark, I'm fine with it. I would rather know where he is and not have to worry about him popping up out of nowhere."

"Okay. We'll set up a trace on your phone and see what we learn, if anything. Now, about the letter you received. It has Laurent's fingerprints all over, as well as yours, and there were some smudged prints that we weren't able to identify. It seems as though Laurent wrote the letter and placed it in your mailbox. That means that he's still in the area."

I shook my head. I was still positive that he hadn't written it. "I'm telling you, he didn't write that letter, fingerprints or not. If he did write it, it was not by his own free will. Maybe someone made him write it."

"Like who?"

"I don't know. Rosalie maybe?"

Mark gave a small sigh. "Bella. We haven't found anything that links Rosalie to Laurent. We've talked to a few people, and it seems that while Ms. Hale might be jealous of you, she doesn't seem to have anything to do with Laurent. But, we will keep an eye out, and I want you to call me if anything strange happens."

I thanked Mark and walked him out, waving goodbye as he climbed back into his cruiser and left. I still thought that Rosalie had a hand in what was going on, but sadly, I didn't have any proof. Closing the door, I headed back into my living room and threw myself down on the couch. There was something off about Rosalie, and I didn't trust her. Maybe Charlie could dig up some dirt on her.

"Bells!" Charlie's voice boomed over the phone. "How are you?"

I told him I was good and updated him on everything that had happened since I'd last talked to him.

"You really think this Rosalie woman is helping him out?"

"I believe she has something to do with all of this, but again, it's just pure speculation on my part," I explained.

"How well do you know her?" Charlie asked me.

"She's my boyfriend's sister-in-law."

"Boyfriend? What boyfriend? Who is this guy? Does your mother know about this?" he fired off at me.

I rolled my eyes. Charlie could be so overprotective at times. "Yes, boyfriend. His name is Edward Cullen, and yes, Mom knows about him. I'm surprised she didn't tell you all about him."

"Hmph. Perhaps I'd better run a background check on him as well."

"What? No, Charlie! I forbid you to. Edward's a great guy. You leave him alone," I demanded.

"Fine, but if he hurts you, I'll hunt him down and shoot him."

I gave Charlie what little bit of information I had on Rosalie, then we said our goodbyes and hung up. I had just about fallen asleep on the couch, when my doorbell rang. Grumbling, I got to my feet and headed toward the front door. Glancing out the window, I saw Edward on my porch. I wrenched the door open and threw myself into his arms.

Automatically, his arms came around me, hugging me close. I inhaled his wonderful spicy scent and felt myself relax.

"Miss me?" he joked.

"Always," I told him, speaking the truth.

Later, as we laid on the couch listening to music, I told him about my day and what Mark had told me. He was considerably upset to think that Rosalie might have something to do with everything, and wondered if perhaps he should tell Emmett.

"I don't know, Edward. I like Emmett, and I don't want to see him hurt. Let's wait until we have some concrete evidence, first. I'd hate to ruin his marriage just because his wife is a heinous bitch."

He agreed, and we continued to cuddle on the couch to the sound of The Eagles in the background. We'd actually managed to find a common ground in music, and classic rock was it. We didn't often just lay around listening to music, but it was nice when we did. What better way to relax, than to lie on top of Edward on the couch, with music playing in the background?

His hands were running up and down my back, once in a while sliding under my shirt to touch my bare skin. Every time he did, goosebumps erupted on my skin, and I got tingles throughout my body. It was amazing what the man could do to me with just a simple touch. I sat up a bit, so that I could place a kiss onto his delectable lips before sweeping my tongue across them. His lips parted, allowing me entry, and I deepened the kiss. Our tongues dueled gently with each other as we both let out low moans. I could feel his reaction to us, and found myself rubbing up against him. He broke from the kiss, throwing his head back, and letting out a strangled groan.

"You're going to kill me," he said in a husky voice, as his hands found purchase on my hips, gripping them, and holding me to him as he brought his lips back to mine.

I continued to rock against him gently, enjoying the feeling of our bodies being so close together. One of his hands slid under the front of my shirt up toward my bra covered breast, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. It was my turn to moan. As we kissed, he continued his gentle assault on my breast, pinching the nipple lightly, setting me on fire. He was growing bolder, and I was taking great delight in that fact. I was about ready to start ripping his clothes off, when his phone rang, upsetting the mood. He removed his hand from my shirt, reaching over to grab his phone off the coffee table.

"Hello?" he said in raspy voice that made me tingle.

I laid my head on his chest, listening to the rumbling in his chest when he spoke.

"Let me ask Bella, and I'll get back to you. Uh huh. Yeah. Goodnight, Emmett," he said before ending the call.

"What's up?"

"Emmett wants to know if we can come over to his house for dinner sometime next week."

"Oh? Oh! I forgot to tell you! Jake and Seth are sending me to the Seattle Tattoo Expo next week. I'll be running a booth there, showcasing our designs and artwork."

"When, next week?"

"Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Do you want to come with me?" I asked, praying he'd say yes.

"I'd love to. I'll let Mrs. Cope that I need those days off, but it shouldn't be a problem. I think Emmett wants us to come over on Tuesday or Wednesday," he said, distracting me with his roaming hands, which had started moving over my back.

"Will the she-devil be there?" I asked, pressing a kiss to his chin.

"Most likely. Hopefully, she'll be on her best behavior."

"Are we the only ones going?" I inquired, not really wanting to be alone with just Rosalie and Emmett. Chances were, she'd say something to piss me off, and I'd have to punch her in the face.

"Let me call Emmett back."

He talked to Emmett for a few minutes before hanging up and bringing his hand back to my hip.

"Alice and Jasper will be there," he said with a slightly disgruntled look on his face.

Propping myself up on his chest, I looked into his eyes. "Well, it'll make for an interesting night, I'd say."

"Great. Like our lives aren't interesting enough?" he grumbled.

I felt the same, but I liked Emmett and didn't want to hurt his feelings. We laid like that for a while longer before getting up and getting ready for bed. With as much as Edward hung out here, it was tempting to ask him to move in with me, but I figured that would be pushing things a bit. For now, I was content to have as much time with him as I could get.

After changing into my tank top, and Edward into his pj pants, we climbed into bed. I knew at some point he'd go back to sleeping in his own bed, and that made me sad. I liked seeing him in bed. He looked good in it. All those lean muscles, that sexy happy trail, his piercing green eyes. All of him was just too delicious.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly.

"You, and how fuckhot you look in my bed," I told him.

"Fuckhot?" he stuttered.

"Oh, yeah," I sighed lustfully as I straddled him and ran my hands over his chest.

His hands gripped my hips, and he thrust up against me gently. His eyes were searching my face, making sure I was okay with it. Who wouldn't be?

"You're so fucking sexy. I wasn't lying when I told you it takes a lot for me not to have my way with you. You're so damn tempting, Eward."

"Like you're not?" he growled out, thrusting with a bit more force.

I threw my head back and let out a low moan. My hands began to slide down his torso, and my fingers played gently with the hair below his navel. His growl was becoming more pronounced. Fuck me, if that wasn't fucking hot. His hands had let go of my hips, and he tugged on my top, pulling it off of me. I wasn't the least bit ashamed of my body. I knew I looked good, and judging from the look on Edward's face, he thought so too. His hand swept up my body 'til he cupped a breast in each hand. His fingers toyed and pinched, pulling moans and gasps from me. I rocked harder against him, needing to find release. He must have felt the same, because his thrusts became harder and faster. His fingers squeezing and tugging me, until we both let out long groans of pleasure, and I fell forward onto him, exhausted.

"Holy shit!" he said in between gasps of air.

My pleasure addled brain barely registered that Edward had sworn.

"Did you just say shit?" I asked, my heart pounding against his, as I lay on his chest.

"I think so. But now I ... uh ... have a mess that needs to be cleaned up," he said shyly.

I tried to hold back the giggle that threatened to erupt, but failed. He frowned at me, clearly not finding his situation funny at all. I leaned up and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"Go get cleaned up. I'll go after you," I said.

Gingerly, he crawled out of my bed, walked over to the dresser, grabbed some clean boxers, and headed into my bathroom. I rolled over onto my back and relived the past few minutes. Holy shit, indeed. That had been fucking hot, and we hadn't even really done anything. If it was that explosive without us really touching, I couldn't wait to see what it would be like when I finally got him naked. A few minutes later, he crawled back into bed, donning a pair of black boxers.

I headed to the bathroom, cleaned up, and found my gorgeous boy fast asleep. Guess I'd worn him out, I thought with a snicker. Climbing into bed, I snuggled up next to him and drifted off quickly.

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><p>an: So, what did you think? Did you like it? Did you love it? Are you jealous of Bella? Cause I know I am. I'd love to have me an Edward Cullen to molest and corrupt. As always, leave me a review and maybe some holiday cheer.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I may not own Twilight, but I _do_ own lots and lots and lots of zombie movies.

A/N: I'm so sorry that you had to wait so long to get this. I've just gotten a second job so now I'm working 6, sometimes 7 days a week, so my writing time is practically non-existent. Updates may end up being every other week, depending on when I find time to write. My second job is a 330 to midnight shift, and I might be able to squeeze some writing time in there if it's not horribly busy. If you want, you can follow me on twitter (bookwormeg), and I'll let you all know when the story will be updated using that. Okay, enough excuses and ramblings. On with the story. BTW, if this chapter sucks, I apologize. It is also a bit shorter than normal. I wrote it while hopped up on cold medicine and very little sleep. Not to mention that my beta is unavailable for a few weeks, so I'm sure there's a shit ton of grammatical errors. I apologize in advance.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

"**Books open your mind, broaden your mind, and strengthen you as nothing else can" William Feather**

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><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

_Holy hell_, I thought staring at myself in the mirror. My hair was all messed up, my eyes glassy and glazed, and my face was flushed. I looked as if I'd just had the most intense orgasm of my life. Oh, wait. I had. A huge, cheesy grin came over my face, and I didn't even try to reign it in. Bella was amazing, and I was so in love with her. I'd told her the other night but not loud enough for her to hear. I wasn't sure she'd feel the same way, and I wasn't ready to lay it all out there just yet.

Realizing that I was still wearing my messy boxers, I quickly stripped out of them and grabbed the washrag hanging next to the sink. I washed myself off, tossed the washrag in her hamper along with my soiled boxers and slipped my clean ones on. Walking out, I headed back to the bed and crawled in next to Bella. I watched the sway of her hips as she walked to the bathroom to clean up and felt myself getting hard again. She was amazing. I rolled onto my back rethinking everything that had just happened. My mind had been blown. _ Just wait 'til it's your dick_ _being blown _my inner Emmett thought. I quickly tried to banish that thought because if what we had just done had nearly killed me, I couldn't imagine surviving anything else. I tried to keep my eyes open, but they closed on their own accord.

The next morning I woke up to warm lips pressing small kisses to my chest.

"Good morning," Bella sang, giving me a tight squeeze.

I blinked open my eyes and stared down at the beautiful woman who was wrapped around me. How in the world did I get so lucky? I pulled her into a hug, rolling us over, so that I was on top of her. I pressed a gentle closed mouth kiss to her lips. I didn't want to kill her with my dragon breath that I was positive that I had.

"Good morning," I told her, making sure to keep from breathing on her.

We slowly untangled ourselves and began to get ready for the day. After my shower, I headed downstairs and found Bella making breakfast for us. I loved that she did that. Her breakfasts were far better than mine, which usually consisted of pop-tarts or toast.

After breakfast, we walked out to our cars, so we could both head to work.

"See you after work?" Bella asked, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

"You bet," I replied, leaning down and giving her a kiss.

Our lips melded together, tongues dueling, passion igniting. I was starting to loose myself in the kiss when I felt a pair of small hands squeeze my butt. It startled me enough to pull my lips away from hers. She had a mischievous look on her face.

"What? You've got a great ass. I've been wanting to do that for a while."

I rolled my eyes at her before giving her one last kiss. The temperature had severely dropped over the past few days, and there was no way I was going to be walking to work in it. Finally, we separated, and I watched from my car as she pulled out of her drive. Once she was safely on the road, I started toward work.

The library was pretty slow which was usual for a Friday. At around ten, Alice swept into the library for her story time. She barely acknowledged me as she headed toward the children's section. I guessed she was still a bit angry with me, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. An hour later, her story time was over, so she headed came to find me. I pretended to be busy, but she wasn't about to be ignored. She stalked over, leaned against the desk, and began tapping her fingernails against the counter. She knew that irritated the heck out of me. Finally, I gave up the pretense.

"Yes?" I asked her.

"How come you agreed to have dinner with Emmett, but you wouldn't hang out with Jasper and me?" she asked, glaring angrily at me.

"Because Emmett asked me. He didn't just demand that we have dinner with him right then and there."

She crossed her arms over her chest, a scowl etched on her face, and I could sense a tantrum coming on.

"Do I need to get Jasper and have him put you in time-out?" I asked her.

"Excuse me?"

"You're gearing up for a major tantrum. You've got the same look on your face that you had when you were two, and Emmett stole your Barbie."

She gave a huff before turning on her heel and stalking off toward the local history room. I was actually kind of proud of myself. Normally, I would've just let her walk all over me, but since meeting Bella, I'd grown a bit more assertive.

Another hour flew by, and Alice left without saying a word to me. Jasper shot me a glare as he followed her out, but I shrugged it off.

"What did you do to your sister?" Angela asked from beside me.

"Stood up to her," I said quietly.

"Good for you," she replied before going back to playing some game on Facebook. I didn't understand the appeal of Facebook. Granted, I didn't actually have one. What was the point? It wasn't like I had many friends.

"You should get a Facebook page," Angela suggested.

I shrugged. "Eh. I don't know if I want one."

"Sure, you do. Scoot your chair over. We'll get you set up with one."

Before I knew it, Angela had created a page for me, taken a picture of me on her phone, uploaded it, and started sending out friend request. It all seemed like so much work. By the time lunch rolled around, I'd learned how to maneuver around the world of Facebook.

_How is work going? _I texted to Bella.

_Slow today. U?_

_Same. Angela introduced me to the world of Facebook._

_Lol. Awesome. R U going to be my friend?_

_Of course._

We chatted for a few more minutes before saying goodbye. Once my lunch was over, I headed back to the front desk where I got to deal with more than a few calls from patrons. One old lady had me looking up every book ever written by Janet Evanovich and wanted me to put everyone of them on hold for her. It was a long and tedious task, but I got it done. After she left, I logged into my brand new Facebook page and noticed that I had several friend requests as well as a request confirming that I was in a relationship with Bella Swan. Heck yes, I was. Eagerly, I confirmed it. I fiddled around for a little bit before guilt set in, and I logged off.

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><p>Before I knew it, Wednesday was upon us and Bella and I were on our way to Emmett and Rosalie's for dinner. The car ride over to their place was a bit tense. Neither of us was particularly looking forward to it. I wasn't too worried about Emmett or Jasper. It was mainly dealing with Rosalie and Alice that was going to prove interesting. Earlier in the week, I'd asked Emmett why he wanted us over for dinner, he said it was so Rosalie could make amends with both Bella and myself. Bella and I had almost laughed ourselves silly. We both figured that Rosalie had some ulterior motive.<p>

I pulled my car into the drive of Emmett and Rosalie's modest house, got out, and opened Bella's door. It looked as though Jasper and Alice had already arrived. We walked up the steps and knocked on the door.

"Eddie! Bella! Welcome to my humble abode!" Emmett boomed, opening the door, and gesturing us in.

We walked into the living room, Bella's hand clasped tightly in mine. Rosalie and Alice were sitting on the love seat, heads bent together, talking quietly while Jasper was sitting on the couch watching hockey. The minute Alice and Rosalie spotted us, they ceased talking. I got a bit of a bad feeling when they turned and gave us polite, yet fake smiles.

"Bella. Edward. I'm so glad that you came," Rosalie simpered.

"Hello, Rosalie. Thanks for having us," I replied as politely as I could. Next to me, Bella echoed my sentiments.

Then we all just sort of sat there staring at each other. Finally, Emmett broke the tension by offering to give Bella a tour of the place.

"Oh, sit down, Em. I'll be happy to show Bella around. It'll give us a chance to talk," Rosalie said.

I felt that was a horrible idea, so I jumped up to join them, despite the fact that I'd been there before, but I was waylaid by Alice.

"Oh, stay, Edward. Rosalie can show her around just fine."

All I could do was nod as I watched Rosalie lead Bella out of the room. I don't know why I was so worried. I knew that Bella could take better care of herself than I could. Bella looked back and gave me a reassuring smile.

I sat back down on the couch and turned my attention to Alice.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior. You were right. I was acted like a child," she said.

It seemed sincere, but Alice could be tricky like that. I accepted her apology and spent the next ten minutes not paying much attention to what was being said around me. I was too busy worrying about Bella. Finally, Bella and Rosalie came down the stairs. Bella's eyes were angry, despite the calm look on her face. She came over to me, and I wrapped my arm around her.

"Everything okay?" I asked quietly in her ear.

"Yeah. She's a sly one, I'll give her that. Trying to get me to talk about shit about you, or talk about Laurent. But I'm on to her," she told me.

I gave her shoulder a squeeze before dropping a kiss on her lips.

"Ow, ow," Emmett hollered from his spot in the doorway near the kitchen.

Reluctantly, we pulled apart, rolling our eyes at Emmett. He announced that dinner was ready, so we all got up and headed into the kitchen to grab our plates. Emmett had an awesome round table that he'd built as a wedding present for Rosalie. We all sat down to eat and that was when things started to get interesting.

"So, Bella," Rosalie began. "How have things been?"

"Pretty good," Bella replied.

"Really?" Rosalie asked, a bit of disbelief in her voice. "I thought you were having trouble with your ex."

Emmett broke in asking Bella what was going on and if he needed to kick someone's ass.

Bella let out a laugh. "It's fine Brother Bear. He broke into my house and wrecked some of my furniture."

"But you're okay?" he asked, obviously concerned about her which warmed my heart. I was happy to see that my brother cared for my girl.

"I am. Fucking pissed off, but fine. I got a letter from him the other day. Spouting off some bullshit that he was sorry, and that he won't bother me again."

"Do you believe him?" Jasper quietly asked from across the table.

"No. As far as I'm concerned he didn't write the letter. Someone else did. Someone wants me to think that Laurent is gone," Bella said, looking at Rosalie as she spoke.

"Who would do that?" Jasper asked.

Bella shrugged. "I have my suspicions, but I'm not ready to share them yet. I do know that Laurent's truck was found abandoned, and I can tell you right now that he would never willingly leave his truck behind."

"He'd better watch his back if he's still around. I won't allow him to hurt you," Emmett growled out.

I was fascinated by Rosalie's face as Emmett spoke. She looked furious that Emmett was being so protective of Bella. The longer I looked at her, I realized it wasn't anger, but more jealousy that lined her face. Rosalie must have sensed that I was watching her because she turned her eyes toward me.

"What?" she asked, resentment in her voice.

I shook my head. I wasn't getting into it with her.

"Something wrong, Rosalie? You seem a bit distraught," Bella said sweetly.

"I'm fine," she said in a clipped tone.

"Are you sure?"

"I said I was fine," she snarled. "So I hear that you and Eddie have been shacking up."

"My name is Edward. I'd think by now that you'd know that. And what Bella and I do is none of your business," I barked at her.

Rosalie sat back, looking a bit shocked that I'd talked back to her. She was used to me just letting her walk all over me.

"Well, well. Look who's decided to put his big pants on and grow a back bone."

Before I could say anything, Emmett broke in. "Stop it, Rosalie. Just stop it. You're always putting him down, and I'm tired of it. Leave him be."

I was a bit shocked. Sure, Emmett had stood up for me before in the past, but he'd never stood up to me against Rosalie. She was his wife. Maybe he'd finally realized just how much she'd hurt me with her words.

The rest of dinner was tense and awkward. Rosalie kept shooting hateful glances at Bella and me. Alice attempted to make small talk, but it fell flat. Once done with dinner, I excused myself to use the restroom. Once done, I headed down the hallway toward the living room where Bella was waiting for me. I had just passed the small office where Emmett kept his computer, when I heard soft voices talking behind the partially closed door.

"I don't trust Bella. She's going to hurt Edward," I heard Rosalie say.

"Why do you think that?" Alice's voice asked quietly.

"I saw what she did to Laurent. I met him at First Beach a while ago. He was distraught over the way she had treated him. He was talking about killing himself, Alice! She drove him to that. Do you want to see that happen to Edward? Do you?"

"No, of course not. I just—she seems to really care for him."

"Please, Alice. Open your eyes. The woman's a manipulator. She has everyone in your family fooled. It's only a matter of time before she destroys Edward."

"How do I know you're telling the truth? You've lied about Bella before," Alice said, her voice quivering a bit.

"I don't care if you believe me or not. But don't come crying to me when Edward gets hurt," Rosalie said.

I backed down the hall, watching as Rosalie left the room. Alice quickly followed, but I reached out and grabbed her arm, startling her.

"Nice chat?" I causally asked.

Alice flushed, not quite looking me in the eye. "Um ... yeah. Rosalie and I were just talking."

"About what?"

"Nothing really. It's not important," she said before quickly walking away.

"Alice!" I hollered.

She stopped and turned. I beckoned for her to come back to me. Slowly, she walked back.

"Why are you lying to me? I overheard everything you and Rosalie were talking about," I told her.

"I'm worried about you, Edward. What if Rosalie's right? What if Bella breaks your heart?"

"Then my heart breaks. Alice, I trust Bella with every fiber in my being. I love her."

I heard a gasp from behind Alice. I looked over her shoulder and saw Bella standing there, a hand covering her mouth. Her beautiful eyes were wide with wonder. Well. I certainly hadn't planned on her finding out that way.

"You love me?" Bella asked softly, her gaze never leaving mine.

I felt the blush taking over my face, but I couldn't look away from her. I nodded. "Very much so," I said.

She rushed down the hall, pushed Alice to the side before throwing her arms around me.

"Oh, thank God! I'm so fucking in love with you, Edward! So much so, that it scares me a bit. I haven't said anything because I was afraid that you wouldn't feel the same," she told me, arms around my waist, cheek pressed against my chest.

My heart was pounding and the most wonderful feeling had overtaken me. Bella Swan loved me! Nothing could have ever prepared me for the way it felt to hear her say those three words. I swung her up in my arms, twirling us in a circle before setting us down. The minute her feet touched the ground, my lips were on hers. I vaguely heard Emmett come down the hall and tell Alice to give us some privacy.

I'd never felt such passion before. I felt as though my heart would burst from my chest. Bella's fingers found their way to my hair, and she tugged the strands gently. I let out a small moan as I gripped her tighter to me. Our tongues dueled gently against one another before I pulled away and nipped her bottom lip gently.

"I love you, Bella Swan," I whispered.

Her smile lit up my heart. "I love you too, Edward Cullen."

We were lost in our own little bubble until Emmett busted it.

"Alright, you two. Break up the love fest," he boomed, coming down the hall and sweeping Bella into his arms.

"I hope that you plan on making an honest man out of my little brother," he told her as he walked with her back into the living room.

I followed, not really paying attention to what he was saying. I entered the living room to find Rosalie giving Bella an evil glare. Emmett was proudly telling Rosalie all about our declarations of love, and she didn't look thrilled at all. Neither did Alice. Jasper was beside himself and was truly happy for us. We spent a bit more time at Emmett's before deciding to head home.

We held hands on the way home, giddy smiles gracing both of our faces. I was sure I looked like an idiot, but I didn't really care.

"I hate to put a damper on things, but I overheard Rosalie talking to Alice earlier," I told Bella.

"What was she saying?"

"She was warning Alice. Telling her that you had destroyed Laurent by breaking his heart, and that you would do the same to me."

"She's such a bitch," Bella hissed out.

"She mentioned that she had met Laurent at First Beach."

"I'm telling you, Edward. She's got something to do with all of this," she told me.

I agreed with her. Rosalie was definitely up to something.

"I want to know how she met Laurent."

"Why not just ask her? Confront her at brunch one of these days. That way she can't really deny it," I suggested.

"That's a good idea," she said.

After arriving home, we went to my house where I grabbed my bag that I had packed for our trip to Seattle. I was excited about going. I rarely got to Seattle and this time, I would be going with my beautiful angel who was in love with me. Once I had my bag in hand, we headed to her house. She too was packed and excited. We would leave early in the morning so we decided to get a good night's rest. Granted there was a fair amount of cuddling, kissing, and groping. I had a feeling that we were going to take things to the next level while we were there, and I was looking forward to it.

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><p>an: and there we have it. I apologize for this chapter being so short. I blame the cold medicine and lack of sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not now. Not ever. *sigh*

A/N: I'd like to thank twilightgma1954 and Dr. Dougie for the wonderful idea for this chapter. Again, I will apologize for any grammatical errors as this is unbeta'd at the moment. This was a big chapter for me, and I hope I did okay. FYI: there's a lemon in here. It's my first attempt at a complete lemon. Usually, I just write half a lemon or a lime or a little bit of citrus, so I hope that this lemon turned out okay.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"Good tattoos aren't cheap and cheap tattoos aren't good." Anonymous**

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><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

Edward had been gone for quite a bit and while I enjoyed spending time with Emmett, I was a bit concerned that Rosalie or Alice had cornered him. I excused myself from the conversation that Emmett and Jasper were having regarding cock rings, in order to go hunt down Edward. Truth be told, the conversation had been a bit disturbing.

As I headed down the hall in th direction that Edward had gone, I heard Alice and Edward talking. I had stopped to turn around and head back down the hall when I overheard Edward.

"Then my heart breaks. Alice, I trust Bella with every fiber in my being. I love her."

I let out a gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. I couldn't believe it. Edward Cullen loved me!

"You love me?" I asked softly, my gaze never wavering from his.

A blush brushed his cheeks, turning them pink. He looked so fucking adorable. He gave a nod to my question. "Very much so," he said, quietly.

I couldn't contain myself. I ran down the hall, almost knocking Alice over in my haste to get to Edward. The moment I reached him, I threw my arms around him.

"Oh, thank God!" I exclaimed. "I'm so fucking in love with you, Edward! So much so, that it scares me a bit. I haven't said anything because I was afraid that you wouldn't feel the same," I said, my arms around his waist, cheek pressed against his chest.

His heart was pounding, and I was thrilled to know it was because of me. Edward's arms were firm around me, pulling me into him before he picked me up and twirled us around. The minute my feet touched the ground, his lips were on mine. My hands found purchase in his hair, and I tugged on the strands. His grip tightened as he let out a moan before thrusting his tongue against mine.

"I love you, Bella Swan," he whispered, breaking from our kiss.

My heart swelled with love. I was amazed and awed by the feelings overcoming me.

"I love you too, Edward Cullen."

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><p>The alarm went off far too early. I let out a groan and cuddled up more closely to Edward. I wasn't ready to move from the warmth of his arms.<p>

"Are you going to turn off the alarm?" his muffled voice asked, thick with sleep.

I let out a growl, before slamming my hand down on the stupid thing, effectively silencing it. Reluctantly, I pushed back the covers and headed toward the bathroom. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward throw back the covers and stretch. My eyes were immediately drawn to his bare chest and that glorious happy trail. He was so fucking hot. He caught me staring at him and blushed a gentle red. I gave him a cheeky grin, blew him a kiss, then headed into the bathroom.

I stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and found Edward still clad in his boxers holding a cup of coffee.

"Figured you could use this," he said softly, handing me the mug.

I took a long pull from it and let out a sigh. I was starting to feel human and more awake. I thanked him and gave his ass a light slap as he walked toward the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, a freshly showered Edward walked by into the room. It took everything in me not to jump him and have my wicked way with him right then and there.

After a quick breakfast, we loaded our bags into the trunk of his Volvo and began our journey to Seattle. The expo was being held at the Seattle Center, and it would take us roughly three hours to get there. The ride passed quickly. We spent the time talking and laughing, exchanging small touches.

"Are you excited about the expo?" Edward asked me.

"Completely. I love tattoo expos. They're a lot of fun, and you get to meet a lot of people. I think you'll have a good time."

He bit his lower lip. A sign that he was worrying. I reached over and squeezed his hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm worried that I won't fit in," he said quietly.

_Oh, my poor, sweet Edward. _ I gave his hand a squeeze. "You'll be just fine. All kinds of people got to tattoo expos. I'm hoping that you'll help me out at the booth."

"I can do that. What exactly do you do at the booth?"

"Talk up the shop. Maybe give a tattoo or two."

"I'll leave the tattooing up to you," he said with a little grin.

"Probably for the best. I've seen your doodles. You're not that great of an artist."

We arrived in Seattle a little after nine-thirty, and we decided to check in at the hotel, then head to the Seattle Center to begin setting up the booth. Jake and Seth had made the arrangements for us, so I shouldn't have been surprised by what they did. Edward and I parked at the hotel, grabbed our bags, and headed inside.

"Hi there! Can I help you?" the overly perky girl behind the desk asked me, all the while ogling Edward.

"Yes. We have a reservation. It should be under Bella Swan," I told her.

"Oh, yes. Here it is. Three nights in our honeymoon suite. Oh! You're here on your honeymoon? That's so sweet!"

I stared at her like she'd spoken a different language. There was no way that I'd heard her correctly. I could've sworn she said honeymoon suite. I turned to Edward and his face was bright red. Even his ears were blushing. I was going to kill Jake and Seth. But since they were the ones footing the bill, I took the keys from the girl and dragged a still blushing Edward toward the elevator.

The ride up was silent. Neither one of us spoke a word as I unlocked our room and opened the door. As we stepped in, I heard Edward let out a sigh.

"Oh, thank God. I was visions of a room draped in red velvet, with a rotating heart-shaped bed in the middle," he said, dropping his bag onto a chair.

I let out a snort. "You've watched too many porns."

"What? No, I haven't. I don't watch porn. Well, okay. That's not true. I've watched it a couple of times, but only because Emmett forced me to, and I'll shut up now."

I was dying. He cracked me up so much. Once I got my laughter under control, I had to go over and give him a hug.

"C'mon. Let's go check out the bedroom," I said, tugging him toward the door on the opposite end of the sitting room.

I pushed the door open, and gasped in awe. The bedroom was beautiful. In the middle of the room was a huge sleigh bed. Immediately, I flopped down on it, burying my face in the soft pillows. I never wanted to leave the bed. It was so comfortable. I registered movement next to me and saw that Edward had followed my example.

"I want one of these," I told him, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"It would swallow your room."

"I don't care. I still want one," I said, rolling over onto my back.

I wished we didn't have to go to the expo. I was content to stay there with Edward for the rest of our trip. Reluctantly, I got up and held out a hand for Edward. Sneaky boy that he was, took my hand and pulled me down on top of him. Not that I was complaining. I loved the feel of his hard body against mine. Leaning down, I licked his bottom lip before nipping it. He let out a moan that went straight through my body, and then he kissed me like he owned me. His tongue delved between my lips, exploring my mouth, leaving no part untouched.

His hands snuck under the bottom of my shirt and began to trace small patterns on my stomach. I broke the kiss to let out a moan. I loved how confident he was becoming. His hands glided up my torso and covered my lace covered breasts. Giving them each a gentle squeeze, while rubbing his thumb over my nipples. I kissed him harder, pouring everything I was feeling into it. God, it felt good. I began to rock back and forth on him, enjoying the dual sensations of his hands and the gentle thrusting of his hips. Edward's lips had moved to my neck, and I was enjoying the gentle nibbles when my phone rang. Wisely, I ignored it, focusing on Edward and our mutual goal of getting off. A few minutes later, we were a sweaty, panting mess.

"That was amazing!" Edward said between breaths.

"Just wait until later. If you thought that was amazing, I'm gonna rock your fucking socks off," I told him, brushing his damp hair out of his eye.

His eyes widened at my words, and then he gave me a beautiful smile.

"I can hardly wait."

After we cleaned up, I checked my phone. I had a missed call from Jake. Sitting down on the couch next to Edward, I dialed Jake.

"You rang?"

"Took you long enough to call me back," he said.

"I was busy."

"Doing what?" he asked.

"None of your business."

He snickered. "I take it you and Little Cullen are enjoying the honeymoon suite, eh?"

I rolled my eyes. "May I ask why you felt the need to book us this room?"

"Seth and I thought the two of you might need a more comfortable place to get your groove on," he replied.

We chatted for a few more minutes before saying goodbye. Edward and I headed out of the room to his car. Jake and Seth had given me a trunk with lots of posters and artwork, and while we could have carried it the few blocks it was just easier to drive there. We each grabbed a handle of the trunk and headed inside. Upon entering, we headed to the registration table. I told the woman behind the table that we were representing Eclipse. I was given a packet and directions to the booth. Edward and I wound our way through the convention center until we found the booth that would be ours for the next few days. There was a large banner up at our booth that said Eclipse.

We spent the next half hour setting up the booth and talking to people who stopped by. I was far more interested in Edward's reactions to the things and people around us. He was like a kid in a candy store; completely awed by everything around him. By the time noon had rolled around, Edward has seen me give three tattoos and had handed out tons of information to those who were from our neck of the woods.

"Your artwork is amazing," he told me after I'd finished a dragon tattoo on a young guy.

"Thanks."

"I wish I could draw the way you do. I can barely manage stick people."

"I'm sure your stick people are cute," I reassured him.

We took a lunch break, then wandered around the area for a while. Imagine my surprise when I ran into an old friend who I had worked with at New Moon.

"Bella? Oh, my God! It's so great to see you!" Nessie Wolf squealed as she gave me a hug.

I returned the hug, thrilled to see her. Nessie had always been one of my favorite people. She was tall and thin with long copper colored hair highlighted purple and an awesome pair of cat eye glasses.

"Nessie! It's wonderful to see you! How are you?" I asked after we pulled apart.

"Doing good. Working in Portland now at Pack Tattoos. What about you? Are you still at New Moon?"

I shook my head. "I work for Billy's son, Jake, at Eclipse in Port Angeles."

"Cool. Are you still with Laurent?"

I felt Edward stiffen beside me at the name. "No. Laurent and I are over. This," I said, grasping Edward's hand and tugging him forward, "is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is a former co-worker of mine, Nessie Wolf."

"It's nice to meet you," Edward said shyly.

"You, too."

Nessie and I chatted for a few minutes until we were interrupted by an announcer letting us know that judging for the Tattoo of the Day would be taking place soon. The three of us decided to go to the judging area and see what tattoos were up for judging. Imagine my surprise when I learned that I was one of the artists whose work was nominated.

There were six contestants and they each showed off their tats. The judges took their time deciding the winning tattoo.

"You've totally go this in the bag. Your tattoo was awesome," Edward told me, his voice warm in my ear.

"Edward's right. Your dragon was fucking sweet," Nessie agreed.

A few minutes later the judges did indeed announce the tattoo I'd done as the winner. I didn't win anything, but I didn't need to. I was extremely proud of the work I'd done and now everyone there knew it was mine. Nothing better than free publicity. Hopefully, having a winning tattoo would garner more clientèle for the shop. I called Jake and Seth and let them know, and they were both extremely pleased and excited.

Finally, the end of the day was arriving. We had to stick around until nine, and I was more than ready to get Edward back to the hotel and finally have my way with him. We hadn't actually agreed that we were going to do anything, but we both knew it was going to happen. Sitting next to me, he kept glancing at his watch and bouncing his knee nervously. I reached over and touched his leg.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

He flashed me a smile that melted my insides.

"I'm fine. Just—ready to leave, you know. I'm ready to spend some time with my girl."

Nine finally arrived, and we closed the booth, more than ready to get back to the hotel. We headed back, got to our room, and then stood there staring awkwardly at each other. It was as if we didn't quite know what to do now that the moment had arrived. I was going to suggest we head to the bedroom when his stomach growled. It broke the tension, causing us to laugh.

"Let's order some room service that we can eat in bed while watching a movie. Sound good?" I asked.

"Sounds perfect."

Twenty minutes later, we were curled up in the huge bed, eating burgers in our pajamas and watching a movie. We finished our food, set the plates aside, and turned off the movie. I excused myself to go brush my teeth and when I came back, Edward had some soft music playing. I crawled into bed as Edward went to brush his teeth, and I debated on whether or not to just strip. Then I figured that might give Edward a heart attack and honestly, I wanted him alive for what I had planned.

He came back into the room and crawled under the covers, pulling me to him. His fingers played in my hair nervously as his lips melded over mine. I kissed him with everything I had in attempts of reassuring him that he had nothing to be nervous about.

"Edward?" I asked, pulling my lips from his.

"Yes?"

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to or aren't ready."

His beautiful green eyes met my brown ones. "I know. I want to. Very much so. I'm just afraid I'm going to royally screw things up."

"Impossible. I'll show you what to do. You have nothing to worry about," I replied, bringing my lips to his once more.

His hands unwound from my hair and slipped under my top, tugging it up. I broke the kiss to toss my tank top on the floor and watched as his eyes lit up upon seeing my bare breasts. I sat up, straddling him, giving him better access to them. His hands shook a bit as he brought them to my breasts, but quickly steadied as he grasped them. He touched and tugged, wringing moans of delight from me. I threw my head back, closing my eyes, and enjoying the sensations racing throughout my body.

I was so caught up in my feelings that I was a bit startled when I felt kisses between my breasts. I groaned, delving my fingers into Edwards hair to keep him there. Gently, almost cautiously, he took one breast in his mouth and sucked softly on the nipple. I let out a gasp at the feeling of his mouth on my breast. They had never been so sensitive before, and I felt that I could come from that alone. I rocked harder against him, causing him to moan against my breast.

"Am I doing okay?" he whispered.

"Oh, yes. Please, don't stop," I begged him.

He moved to my other breast sucking and licking it. My breath caught in my throat at the feelings he was invoking. As he sucked and licked on my breasts, one of his hands moved down and grabbed my ass, giving it a gentle squeeze. I grasped his head and brought his mouth to mine, attacking him. For a man with no experience, he was arousing me more than any other man I'd ever been with had. His arms came up and wrapped around me before he rolled us over so that he was on his side, hovering over me. He ran a hand down my torso and tugged gently on my pajama bottoms.

"Shou—should I take these off?" he asked.

"Please," I told him.

His hands trembled as he brought them to my bottoms, and I lifted my hips to help him as he tugged them off. His fingers slid up and down my legs before stopping on my hip, almost as if giving me a chance to say no. Like that was going to happen.

"What should I do?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Touch me."

"Where? How?"

"Anywhere. Everywhere. However you want."

He slid his hand over the satin of my panties, cupping me gently. I pressed myself into his hand, letting out a moan at the feeling. With a trembling hand, he rubbed his fingers up and down me, tracing my lower lips. It felt incredible, but I was eager for more. I wanted my panties off, so I reached down and pulled them off, exposing myself to Edward's gaze.

"You're beautiful," he said in a voice filled with awe.

Gently, I grasped his hand in mine and brought it back to my center. Slowly, his fingers ran softly against the outer lips of my pussy.

"You're so smooth and soft," he whispered.

He pushed his fingers deeper, opening my lips and rubbing against my flesh. He was quickly learning, and I removed my hand from his. His finger gently thrust inside of me, and he let out an earthy growl.

"God, Bella. You feel so good. So warm. So wet."

"Just keep touching me. It feels so fucking good," I moaned as he brought his lips back to my nipple.

Edward's finger kept thrusting inside of me before he withdrew it and began to circle my clit. I let out a loud moan, and he stopped what he was doing. I reached down and grabbed his hand, begging him to continue. He touched me gently again and began rubbing it. He pressed down on it and a jolt of sensation ripped through me, causing me to suck in a sharp breath.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" I asked, lost in the feelings that he was causing.

"Um ... can I—uh, that is ...," he began, uncertainty clear in his voice.

I opened my eyes and gazed at him. He was bright red.

"Please, don't be embarrassed. Not with me. I love you, Edward. You can ask me anything."

"I love you, too. I ... it's something that I've read about that I'd like to try."

"Tell me. Please."

"I want to taste you," he said so quietly I almost didn't hear it.

_Oh, fuck yes. _Just the thought of Edward going down on me got me even wetter than I already was.

"I'd love that very much," I told him, bringing him down for a kiss.

Our tongues dueled for dominance before he broke the kiss to lean down and kiss the top of each of my breasts. Slowly, Edward kissed down my body, his intent clear. I spread my legs to give him better access and watched with baited breath as he settled between my legs. He bent his head down and gave the outer lips a gentle kiss. Using his fingers, he gently pried my lips open and ran his tongue up my slit. I let out a moan, fisting my hands in his hair, holding him to me. It was so fucking good, and he'd just begun. He continued running his tongue around my lips, sucking on them gently, and nibbling on my inner thighs. For a man who had no experience giving head, he was doing wonderfully, and I let him know.

My words encouraged him, and he began to become bolder. He gently ran his tongue up inside of me, thrusting it forward.

"Holy shit! Don't stop! Please, don't stop!" I cried out.

Edward pushed his face into my soft flesh and started to lick me deeply, tasting more of me. He thrust his tongue inside a few more times before running his tongue over my clit. I was delirious with pleasure. My head was thrashing back and forth on the pillow. I was so close to cumming, and I tightened my grip on Edward's hair.

"I'm so close," I moaned to him.

He doubled his effort to get me off. He slid two fingers deep into me, then opened them as wide as he could before pulling them almost back out. As he did this, he ran the tip of his tongue over and around my clit before sucking the small bud into his mouth. The combination of the suction of his mouth around me and the fingers inside of me caused me to explode, screaming his name as I came.

I lay there with my eyes closed, gasping for air as I gently ran my fingers through his hair. Slowly, he removed his mouth from me, placing kisses against my pubic mound and then my torso.

"I take it that was okay?"

"Fucking hell, Edward! That was amazing!"

I opened my eyes and saw a smug looking Edward staring back at me. I ran my hand down his side before pushing him over onto his back. It was his turn now. Kneeling, I yanked his boxers off of his body and gasped at what I saw. Edward was beautiful. Cocks are usually ugly, but his called to me. It was long and thick, and hard as a rock. Gently, I traced my fingers from the tip to the base, causing him to let out a groan.

"I won't last long, Bella," he warned me.

"Well then, I'd better get to work," I said as I leaned down and gave the tip a kiss.

I heard him let out a strangled moan before I turned my attention to the cock in front of me. Grasping him in my hand, I slipped my lips down over him, taking him in my mouth. I slid down as far as I could, sucking him gently. I heard Edward let out a small sound filled with feeling and pleasure. Slowly, I dragged my mouth off of him, until only the head remained in my mouth. I gave it a gentle sucking before running my tongue over it. He let out a strangled groan.

"Bella! I'm going to come," he whispered.

"So come," I told him before taking him back into my mouth. Every few strokes I flicked my tongue around his cock, and that was all it took. With a roar, I felt him cum in my mouth, and I quickly swallowed it down. Gently, I slid him out of my mouth, and found myself wrapped up in a tight hug.

"You've destroyed me," he said softly before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.

We rested for a few moments, talking quietly, until I felt him beginning to stir. Reaching down, I stroked his length a few times until he was at full mast. I rolled onto my back, watching as he settled himself between my legs.

"Do we need a condom?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I'm on the pill," I told him as I tugged him gently forward.

Carefully, Edward pushed inside of me, and we both let out groans as he began to fill me. Once fully inside, he stopped, his eyes closed.

"You okay?" I asked softly, running my hands up and down his back.

"Oh, yes. God, Bella. It's amazing. I've never felt anything like this," he said, opening his eyes to stare at me.

I gave him a smile and watched his awed expression as he pulled out before thrusting back in. I began to push back, joining him in the rhythm of lovemaking. His face was breathtakingly beautiful as he experienced making love for the first time. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and Edward seemed to take it as a hint that he could thrust harder and faster. A familiar warmth began to grow inside of me, and I knew that another orgasm was around the corner. I slid one hand down my body, and Edward watched as I began to rub my clit gently.

"Edward," I moaned as the sensation grew.

Reaching down, he pushed my hand out of the way, taking over and rubbing my clit. His thrusts were coming faster and harder than before, and he pinched my clit sending me flying headlong into the most intense orgasm I'd ever had. I vaguely heard him roaring my name as he came, bathing my insides in warmth.

His heavy warmth settled on me as he collapsed from the intensity of his own orgasm. His head rested on my chest, his heart pounding as fast as mine. I stroked his damp hair with my fingers, murmuring words of love to him.

Eventually, he raised his head. His bright green eyes met mine as he cautiously asked if it had been okay.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That was fucking amazing!" I told him.

His face broke out in a silly grin. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He rolled off of me, tucking me into his side as his arms wrapped around me.

"I love you so much, Bella Swan. Thank you for this wonderful experience," he told me.

"I love you, too. And don't worry. There will be plenty more wonderful experiences. I can guarantee that."

"Hell, yes there will be! I thought I was addicted to you before, but now. Now, well ... let's just say that you're my brand of heroine, and I can't get enough of you."

I snorted out a giggle. My man was so goofy. I excused myself to go to the bathroom and when I came out, I found Edward passed out on the bed. Apparently, I'd worn him out. Climbing into bed, I snuggled up against him, gave him a kiss, and succumbed to sleep.

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><p>an: So? How'd I do? Did you survive the lemon? Did I pass? Or was it an epic fail? Let me know!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own a new Kindle Fire.

A/N: Hope everyone had a good holiday. This chapter is basically a fluff piece. Sure there's a bit of sustenance, but not a lot. The beginning part of this chapter might be a bit repetitive, but I felt that we should have Edward's POV of their sexy times. And yes, there will be a couple of lemons in this chapter. As always, thanks to everyone who is reading this little story. And of course, thanks to those who reviewed as well. A big thanks to bananafox for coming up with a great idea that's in this chapter. Again, this is un-beta'd so if there are errors, I apologize.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C.S. Lewis**

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><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

After we got back to the hotel, I was a bundle of nerves as I thought about what was going to be happening soon. Bella and I were going to make love, and it was a terrifying, yet exhilarating thought. I was barely able to eat the food that we ordered, but I managed. Once we were done eating, I knew the time had come. Bella understood that I was nervous, and she did her best to qualm my nerves.

I slid into bed next to her and immediately her lips covered mine in a passionate kiss. She broke the kiss and told me we didn't have to go through with what we were about to do, but I assured it I wanted to. I very much wanted to. I voiced my concerns about screwing things up, but she told me she'd show me what to do. I had to admit that definitely made things hotter.

Before I knew what I was doing my hands were sliding under her top tugging it up, and she broke the kiss to pull her shirt off, baring her breasts to me. They were amazing. I loved her breasts. They fit perfectly in my hand, and my hands shook a bit as I reached out to touch them. She let out some little noises as I touched her, and I felt a wave of awe overcome me. I had caused her to make those noises. Cautiously, I brought my lips to the valley between her breasts. Her hands flew to my hair, holding me close to her. Gently, I took one breast in my mouth and sucked softly on the nipple. She let out a gasp and rocked harder against me, causing me to almost lose control.

"Am I doing okay?" I whispered, hating the insecurity I heard in my voice.

"Oh, yes. Please, don't stop," she said.

I grinned a bit and moved to her other breast, sucking and licking it. As I continued to caress her breasts, my hand moved down and grabbed her ass, giving it a gentle squeeze. All of a sudden, she grasped my head and brought her mouth to mine, attacking it. I wrapped my arms around her and rolled us over, so that I was on my side, hovering over her. Before long, I had her pants off of her, then realized I had no clue what to do next. I tried to think of everything that Emmett had told me about having sex, but my mind was blank.

"What should I do?" I asked her.

"Touch me."

"Where? How?"

"Anywhere. Everywhere. However you want."

The possibilities were endless. She was giving me free reign. Slowly, I slid my hand over her panties and cupped her gently. She was so warm and damp, and my heart raced at the fact that I was touching her so intimately. With a trembling hand, I rubbed my fingers up and down her, tracing her lower lips. She let out a gasp, then started wiggling. I watched as she pulled her panties down, and I couldn't help but stare at her.

"You're beautiful," I said in a voice filled with awe. She truly was. I'd never actually seen a—well, I wasn't just sure what to call it. Vagina seemed so clinical and ugly. Pussy, I almost choked thinking the word, seemed so—so, I didn't know. I wasn't sure I could call it that,, although I'd heard Emmett and Jasper use that term plenty of times. I supposed that I could ask Bella, but now probably wasn't the time.

Turning my attention back to her, she grasped my hand and brought it to her center. Center, was a good word. I could use that for time being. Slowly, I ran my fingers against her, amazed at the softness that I felt there.

"You're so smooth and soft," I whispered.

Unsure of what to do, I pushed my fingers deeper and rubbed them against her flesh a bit more, until I thrust a finger inside of her and let out a growl. She was so warm and wet. I'd never felt anything like it.

"God, Bella. You feel so good. So warm. So wet."

"Just keep touching me. It feels so fucking good," she moaned.

So I did. I kept thrusting my finger inside of her before withdrawing it and finding that little nub that Emmett had told was the key to the kingdom. He'd told me that if you found that nub, your girl would love you forever. For once, he was right. I circled her clitoris, and Bella let out a loud moan. I yanked my hand away, afraid that I'd somehow hurt her, but she reached down and grabbed my hand, begging me to continue. Trembling slightly, I brought my finger back to her nub and began to rub it gently before pressing down on it gently. I watched her face as pleasure rushed over it and knew that I had to taste her. I'd read about it, heard about it, seen it once in a porn that I'd been forced to watch. And I wanted nothing more than to try it with her.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"Um ... can I—uh, that is ...," I began, knowing that my face was bright red.

"Please, don't be embarrassed. Not with me. I love you, Edward. You can ask me anything."

"I love you, too. I ... it's something that I've read about that I'd like to try."

"Tell me. Please."

"I want to taste you," I said quietly, afraid that she would reject my idea.

"I'd love that very much," she said, bending down to kiss me.

We kissed for a few minutes before I began to press kisses down her body. I was nervous, but excited at the same time. Bella spread her legs, giving me better access to her center. I bent my head down and ran my tongue over her. She let out a moan, fisting her hands in my hair. Apparently, she liked what I was doing, so I kept at it. Still a bit unsure of what to do, I gently ran my tongue up inside of her, thrusting it forward.

"Holy shit! Don't stop! Please, don't stop!" she cried out.

That was all the encouragement I needed. I licked her deeply, tasting more of her before running my tongue over her nub. I could feel her body starting to shake, and her hands tightened on my hair.

"I'm so close," she moaned.

_Holy hell, my girl was about to come. _I doubled my efforts to bring her complete pleasure. Remembering something that I'd read, I slid two fingers inside of her, opening them wide while running my tongue over her small nub. All of a sudden I felt her body clench down on my fingers, and she screamed my name. I knew right then that there was nothing hotter than hearing my girl scream my name. I removed my mouth from her, dropping a kiss on her pubic mound before making my way back up her torso.

"I take it that was okay?" I asked, feeling a bit smug.

"Fucking hell, Edward! That was amazing!"

She ran her hands down my side after she had recovered, then pushed me onto my back. Kneeling, she yanked my boxers off my body causing me to gasp. Gently, she began to trace her fingers up and down my length. I let out a groan as she played with me, and I knew that I wouldn't last long.

"I won't last long, Bella," he warned me.

"Well then, I'd better get to work," she said before leaning down and kissing the tip.

I let out a strangled moan as she slipped her lips down and took me into her mouth. _Holy shit! _I knew that I was going to be over in a matter of minutes at this rate. Her mouth was so warm and wet, and the pleasure I felt was amazing. I knew that I was about to come, so I had to let her know.

"Bella! I'm going to come."

"So come," was her response before taking me back into my mouth. With a roar, I let loose and felt her swallow around me. I couldn't believe that she'd done that. Or that she'd even wanted to. Carefully, she slid me out of her mouth and wrapped her up in a tight hug.

"You've destroyed me," I told her softly before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.

We rested for a while until I began to reawaken. Bella reached down and stroked me until I was hard as a rock, then she rolled onto her back. The time had come for me to lose my virginity. Slowly, I settled myself between her legs. I asked her if we need to a condom, mentally slapping myself for not bringing any, but she told me that she was on the pill. I was going to be able to feel my girl with nothing between us.

Cautiously, I pushed myself inside of her, and we both let out groans as I filled her with my length. Once I was inside of her, I had to stop and close my eyes. The feeling was almost too much. If I so much as moved, I was going to lose it. She was tight and hot, and I felt like I was in heaven.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Oh, yes. God, Bella. It's amazing. I've never felt anything like this," I told her before I pulled out and thrust back in.

She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I started to thrust harder and faster. I watched in fascination as Bella reached her hand between our bodies and started to rub her nub. When she moaned out my name, I felt the need to bring her to completion myself. I pushed her hand away and started to rub her nub before pinching it. Her whole body tensed up, and she clenched down on my length causing me to let lose. I roared out her name as I bathed her insides with my seed. It was the most primal feeling in the world.

I collapsed on top of her, resting my head against her chest, my heart pounding against hers. Bella's fingers delved into my hair as she murmured words of love. Unable to resist, I asked her if it had been okay. I felt that it had been pretty darn amazing, and I could only hope that she felt the same.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That was fucking amazing!" she exclaimed.

I felt a silly grin break over my face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

I slid off of her, tucked her into my side, and wrapped her arms around me. I told her that I loved her and thanked her for a wonderful experience. She told me she loved me and promised there would be plenty more experiences like that. I could hardly wait.

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><p>Our weekend in Seattle went by way too fast. We spent our days at the convention and our nights making love. It was amazing and wonderful, and I was so glad that Bella had been my first. I hoped that she would be my last. I never wanted to be with another woman. She was it for me. I knew that it was too early in our relationship to be thinking of marriage, but I hoped that someday she would agree to be my wife. I was sure if Emmett found out about my thoughts of marriage he'd say that I was pussy-whipped and that it was stupid to fall so hard for the first girl you slept with.<p>

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asked me, drawing me out of my thoughts as we drove back toward Forks.

"What a wonderful weekend this was," I told her.

She reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It was pretty spectacular, wasn't it?"

"It was," I agreed.

We talked about the convention and our lovemaking on the way home, and I blurted out that I hoped we could continue to do it. Bella let out a husky laugh and told me that she wasn't about to stop making love to me. I was a bit relieved. I was afraid that once we got back into our daily routines, we would find ourselves too busy or too tired to do it.

A little over three hours later, we pulled into my driveway, and I groaned when I saw Emmett, Alice, and Jasper on my porch.

"What are they doing here?" I asked, a bit put out that they were there.

Bella shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they wanted to hear about the convention," she suggested.

I didn't think that was it. As we got out of the car, I got a bad feeling that something was going to happen, and it would be all Emmett's fault.

"Hey, hey kids! How was the convention?" Emmett boomed as we made our way up the steps to my house.

"Good," we said.

Emmett put on a pout. "Good? That's it? Nothing exciting happened? Like, oh, I don't know ... getting your groove on?"

"If we did get our groove on, it's none of your business!" I snarled at him.

I immediately wished I'd kept my mouth shut. My snapping at him was a dead give away that we had indeed gotten our groove on.

He let out a hoot. "You so did! Little Eddie lost his virginity!" he shouted to the world.

_I was going to freaking kill him! _My face flushed a dark red, and I pushed my way past him to find my door slightly open.

"How'd you get into my house?" I growled out.

"Mom gave me her spare key. I told her I needed to drop something off for you," he explained.

I was going to be having words with my mother. I opened the door to my house and set our bags down before Emmett pulled me into the kitchen. There are the table was a cake with the words _Congrats!_ written on it. I narrowed my eyes and stared at him.

"What is this?" I asked, gesturing toward the cake.

"It's a cake. I bought so that we could celebrate your deflowerment," he said with a big grin.

"Excuse me?" I asked. I surely hadn't just heard what he'd said. There was no way he just said that we were celebrating my losing my virginity.

"You heard me. Congrats on finally getting laid, bro!" Emmett hollered, grabbing me around the waist and twirling me around.

"Put me down, now!" I yelled at me.

"Geez, Eddie. What's wrong? I'd thought you'd be more relaxed after you finally got laid," he said.

Apparently, my moron of a brother thought he was funny, and I wasn't having any of it. I'd had a wonderful weekend with my Bella, and here he was trying to desecrate it.

"That's it! Get out of my house!" I yelled at him, grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the door.

"Dude! What the fuck is your problem? I was just goofing off!"

I leaned up and got in his face. I was tired of him always picking on me.

"What's my problem? What's my problem? Are you freaking kidding me? All you ever seem to do is pick on me. Let's make fun of shy, geeky Edward! I'm so freaking sick of it! I just wish you would lay off. Anytime something monumental happens to me, you're always there to ruin it by demeaning whatever it is. What Bella and I did this weekend was none of your business. What we did was between the two of us and it was wonderful and sacred and here you are trying to cheapen it. So, just get the fuck out of my house," I said, tired and weary from my rant.

A look of shock had crossed their faces. Alice opened her mouth as if to say something, but Jasper shook his head at her.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Jasper said to Emmett, shooting me an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just joking around," Emmett said, and I could tell that he was truly apologetic, but I didn't care at that moment. I just wanted him gone.

I gestured toward the door, indicating that they needed to leave. As soon as they were gone, I slammed the door shut, locking it. I leaned back against it, furious that the good mood I'd been in was ruined. Bella came over and wrapped her arm around me, resting her cheek on my chest.

"I'm proud of you for standing up to him. I like your brother, but clearly you got all the brains and the looks in the family. I'm sorry, baby, that you had to deal with that" she said, giving me a gentle squeeze while pressing a kiss over my heart.

"It's not your fault that my brother's a complete ass," I said, bending my head to kiss her.

"Well, let's get your mind off of him and his stupid idea," she said, tugging my hand and leading me toward the bedroom.

"Just what are you planning, Ms. Swan?"

"Well ... I was planning on letting you have your wicked way with me. Is that alright?"

I gave her a smile. "Like I'd say no?"

We walked up the stairs to my bedroom, where we began kissing and slowly removing each other's clothes. Bella suggested that we take a shower together since we hadn't had time to take one with that morning. I was completely on board with that. I headed into the bathroom where I turned the shower on, making sure that the water wasn't too hot. When I had it the temperature I wanted, I called out to her letting her know that it was ready. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her as she walked naked into my bathroom. She was a vision. Her body was wonderful. Not too skinny, with curves in all the right places.

I pulled back the shower curtain and let her step in first before following. I couldn't take my eyes off of her as she tipped her head back to wet her hair. I watched, fascinated as the water droplets raced down her body. She looked like a goddess. Reaching out, I traced the droplets as they fell onto her breasts. She let out a little hum and opened her eyes, staring at me as she pulled me in close for a kiss. My fingers moved to cup her full breasts, where I gave them a gentle squeeze before bringing them up to tug on her nipples. Eventually, she broke the kiss, grabbing for the bar of soap that I kept in the dispenser. I watched as she lathered her hands up, and she gave me a sexy smirk.

She brought her hands to my chest, and all I could do was watch as she slid them across my chest, tweaking my nipples, and then down my torso. I threw my head back with a groan when she wrapped her slick hands around me, twisting and pulling, and nearly causing me to lose my mind. Once the soap was washed off, she sunk to her knees, and I was immediately concerned that the bottom of the tub would be too hard on her knees.

"You don't have to do that," I told her.

"Oh, but I want to," she told me, looking up at me with those large brown eyes.

I cupped her cheek in my hand. "Your knees are going to hurt."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine. Now, let me get back to what I was doing," she said as she brought her mouth to the tip of my—I guess, cock would be an appropriate word.

She ran her tongue up the length of my cock, while her hands slid down and gripped the base. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. Watching her take me into her mouth had me fisting my hands to keep from gripping her hair and pounding into her mouth. We both let out a moan as she took as much of me as she could, and I bucked at the sensation. The pleasure was becoming too much, but I wasn't ready for it to end just yet, so I gently pulled her off of me. She gave me a pout, but I quickly distracted her by bringing my lips to her breast. Gently, I sucked and tongued her hard little nipples causing her to let out moans of delight, while gripping my hair. While my lips were busy, my hand began to travel down her torso toward her center.

My hand moved down to her folds, and Bella let out a moan as my fingers trailed over her sensitive labia. She sucked in her breath through her teeth as I parted her and effortlessly slid two fingers into her center. She felt amazing, and I was never going to get used to the feel of her warm and wet around me. Unable to resist my Bella, I let go of her nipple and trailed a path of kisses and nibbles down her stomach. Now I was the one kneeling and all I could think about was tasting her again. Slowly, teasingly, I licked her and sucked on her sensitive bud until she fell over the edge, screaming my name.

"I want you in me. Now!" she moaned, tugging me up.

My knees protested as I stood, but the discomfort was quickly forgotten as Bella wrapped one leg around me. I wasn't quite sure how having sex in the shower was going to work. I was afraid one of us would slip and fall, but I was desperate to be inside of her. I cupped Bella's butt in my hands and hoisted her up. Both of her legs were wrapped around my waist, and I had her pressed against the cool tile of the shower. She shifted a bit, causing the tip of me to brush against her, and she let out a husky moan. She seemed to like that so I did it again, rubbing the head of my cock over her nub before slightly entering her and then pulling back again. Bella's back arched wildly, and her whole body shuddered as she came.

"Fuck, Edward. I want you to fuck me!" she growled out, slamming her lips against mine.

_Well, alright then_, I thought. I pushed into her gently, then with a bit more force. We were both moaning by the time I was fully sheathed inside of her hot, wet, tight body. Despite the fact that we'd done this a lot over the weekend, I still had to think about Emmett wearing a pair of speedos to keep from coming right away. I moved one hand to brace myself against the wall, while holding her up with the other, and then I started thrusting. Slow at first, then gradually picking up more speed. Bella was clinging tightly to me, meeting my every thrust, and moaning incoherently. It wasn't long until we both came with a shout.

I rested my head on the tile behind her as I slowly lowered her feet to the ground. Her arms were wrapped around my shoulders, and her head was on my chest.

"Fucking amazing," she breathed out.

Eventually, the water started to cool, and we reluctantly parted. I stepped out of the shower and opened up a big fluffy towel to wrap Bella up in. Once she stepped out, I dried her off and wrapped her up. As she made her way to my bedroom, I dried off and followed her. Soon we were dressed in pajamas and made our way down to my kitchen. It was a little after seven, and we were both hungry after our romp in the shower.

"How about some grilled cheese and tomato soup?" I suggested after looking through my cupboards.

"Sounds good. I'll make the grilled cheese. You burnt them last time," she said, swatting me on my butt as she walked by.

_Cheeky wench._ I got the soup out of the cupboard and was about to open it when my phone rang. Checking, I noticed it was my mom.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi, sweet boy. How was your trip?"

"It was good. We had a nice time."

"That's wonderful, dear. I just wanted to call and make sure you got home safely. I'll let you go now. Give my love to Bella," she said.

"I will. Oh, and Mom? Don't ever give Emmett a key to my place."

"What did he do?" she asked a bit wearily.

I ran a hand over my face, unsure of how to answer that.

"He got me a cake."

"That doesn't seem so bad," she said.

"Ha. Yeah, well, he said it was because I finally—" I stopped. There was no way I could tell my mother that I'd given my virginity to Bella.

Thankfully, my Mom seemed to know what I was about to say.

"That boy is an idiot! I will be having words with him. Don't you worry about that," she promised me.

After dinner, we cleaned up and headed back upstairs for bed. We hadn't actually discussed Bella staying with me, but it made sense. I wasn't looking forward to going back to the real world.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, after we were in bed.

"Yeah. Just thinking about how going back to the real world is going to suck. I've enjoyed living in our bubble."

She let out a laugh. "Our bubble's a good place to be. But don't worry, Edward. No matter what, we'll still find time to be together. It's not like we live far apart."

"I know. It was just nice not having a nosy family around all the time or worries about whether or not Laurent and Rosalie are up to something."

"I know. We'll deal with all of that as it comes," she said, pressing a kiss to my chest.

I held her close, told her I loved her, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

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><p>an: a bit of fluff there. As always, leave me some love or whatever.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine. I just like to play with the characters and make them do naughty things.

A/N: I wrote this chapter while working, so hopefully it makes sense. Lol. I kept getting interrupted. Nothing more fun than dealing with annoying people. So a bit of my aggression might have come out in this chapter. Hope everyone had a good New Year and was safe. I spent mine working. I got a full-time job so starting the week of January 9th, I'll be transitioning from 2 part-time jobs to one job, so the posting schedule might get a bit screwy for a week or two. Eventually, I think I'll get back to posting every Saturday as opposed to every Monday/Tuesday. Again this is un-beta'd. If anyone's interested in being a beta for me let me know since my current beta is unavailable for a while. As always, a big thanks to everyone who reads and to everyone who reviews.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past." **

**Jack London**

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><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

A month had passed since the tattoo convention, and Edward and I had settled into a wonderful routine. Each night was spent together at either one of our houses. In a way, it seemed stupid to live separately, seeing as how often we were together, but at the same time it was nice knowing that we each had a separate place to go if we needed to. Every once in a while we would spend an afternoon or morning by ourselves, but other than that we were joined at the hip. Emmett thought it was sickening, but really, who cared what he thought? Since our dinner at his house, Rosalie seemed to have done a one-eighty, and it had me worried.

The first family brunch after the dinner had been odd to say the least. Rosalie was still a bitch to me, not that I truly cared, but she had started to be nicer to Edward. We'd been in the living room after eating Esme's wonderful brunch when Rosalie shocked the hell out of all of us.

"Edward?" she'd asked.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior toward you. It was rude and childish. I only hope that you can forgive me. I've had a lot going on, and while I realize that isn't an excuse, I had no right to take my anger out on you."

Edward glanced at me, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. _What the hell was she up to?_ Edward, being the sweetheart that he was, told her he would forgive her with time. I, on the other hand, wasn't about to forgive her for being such a heinous bitch to him and to me. Each Sunday brunch seemed to get stranger and stranger. It was almost as if Edward and Rosalie had begun a friendship, and I was truly worried. I voiced my worries to Edward the following Sunday on our way to brunch.

"I'm worried about Rosalie is up to," I said.

"I honestly don't think she's up to anything at the moment. I'm not saying that a leopard can change it's spots, but she does seem to have changed for the better. Perhaps Emmett and Mark's talks made her realize that she needed to become a better person."

"I don't buy it. I really don't. She's up to something. She may be all nice and buddy buddy with you, but she sure isn't with me," I told him.

And what he said next pissed me off. We'd never gotten into a fight. Never really had any arguments, so I guess it was bound to happen eventually.

"Well, maybe if you tried to be a bit nicer to her, she'd be nicer to you."

I was fucking floored. I slowed the truck down and pulled over on the side of the road, so that I could face him after putting the car in park.

"Excuse me?" I said, my voice cold. "Did you just tell me to make nice with Rosalie? The same Rosalie who has made your life a living hell since forever. The same Rosalie who was or is in cahoots with Laurent. I don't fucking think so! I can't stop you from being friends with her, but that sure as fuck doesn't mean I'm going to be."

Edward looked a bit taken back by my rant. "I'm sorry. I realize that Rosalie isn't the easiest person to get along with, but I was just—"

"You were just what?" I asked, angry that he was even suggesting that I be friendly with the bitch.

"You know what? Forget it. Forget I said anything. Let's just go. We're going to be late," he said, staring out the window, refusing to meet my gaze.

"Fine," I said, seething.

The drive to his parents' house was quiet and tense. As we pulled in the drive, it hit me. Our arguing was probably what Rosalie wanted. She couldn't get her family to side with her, but she could get Edward and I to fight. What better way to drive us apart? She knew that I couldn't stand her, and that I would have issues if she got close to Edward. I hated to admit it, but it was almost genius. Well, two could play that game.

"Fine. I'll be nice to her. I'll be so fucking nice that I'll kill her with my niceness."

He let out a sigh. "Bella. I know you don't like her. Heck, I don't particularly like her either, but I do feel she's trying to change. So, in the meantime I'll be nice to her. It can't hurt, is all I'm saying."

I looked over and felt guilty that I'd gotten mad at him. Letting out a sigh of my own, I told him, "I'll attempt to be nice to her. But I promise nothing."

"Fair enough. Thank you," he said, reaching over and giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

_Ugh._ I couldn't stay mad at that cute face. Channeling all my acting skills, I climbed out of the truck, and we walked up to the door. Once the door was opened, I was wrapped up in Esme's wonderful hug. She must have noticed that something was off because after hugging Edward, she pulled me aside.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry.

I gave her a forced smile. "Everything's fine. I'm just worried about something, but it's no big deal."

"You know you can always talk to me if you need to. You know that right?" she asked.

I gave her a hug. "I know, Esme. This is just something I have to work through on my own, but thank you."

I followed her into the house and found Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett talking. Emmett had apologized profusely for the cake debacle and since then, had been nothing but nice to Edward. Sure, there wast he occasional picking on, but Edward was starting to give back as good as he got, and I don't think Emmett could have been prouder. I sat down on the couch next to Edward and gave Rosalie and Emmett a smile.

"How are you guys?" I asked them, focusing mainly on Emmett. He was easier to be nice to.

"Fine. How about you, Bells?" Emmett asked me.

"Doing good," I replied before turning my attention to Rosalie.

"How are you doing, Rosalie?"

She gave me a glare. Apparently, she wasn't a fan of my playing nice.

"I'm fine. Thank you," she said through gritted teeth before continuing. "So things are going well with the two of you?"

Edward beamed a brilliant smile. Our tiff in the car forgotten or at least put on the back burner.

"Things are fantastic," he said, planting a gentle kiss on my lips.

I had a feeling that wasn't the answer that Rosalie was looking for. Jasper and Alice arrived a few minutes later, and I wasn't surprised when Rosalie and Alice took off together to do some "girl talk." I guess I wasn't enough of a girl to be included in their talks. _Whatever._ I was fine with that. I spent some time in the kitchen with Esme, enjoying what I had come to think of as mother-daughter time despite the fact that we weren't related. I was closer to Esme than I was to Renee, and I hoped that one day Esme would be my mother.

"What are you thinking about?" Esme asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I blushed slightly, which only egged her on. Finally, I relented and gave in.

"I was just thinking how I hope that you'll be my mother one day," I said, quietly, not really looking at her.

She wrapped me up in a tight hug. "Whether you marry Edward or not, I already think of you as my daughter."

I blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. Edward chose that moment to walk in. He saw the tears in my eyes and was at my side immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a panicked voice.

"Nothing," I said, reassuring him. "They're happy tears. I promise."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder before asking what the tears were for.

"I was just telling Bella that I think of her as another daughter," Esme said, giving us a smile.

"Of course Mom thinks of you as another daughter. You're family," Emmett boomed from the entry way to the kitchen.

Brunch was delicious as always and after it was over, I found myself cleaning up along with Rosalie and Alice. The two of them kept up an endless stream of chatter in which I wasn't included. It annoyed me, but I did my best not to let it show. All it really proved to me was that Alice and Rosalie were immature. Once the table was cleared, we started cleaning up the kitchen.

"So things with you and Edward are going good?" Alice asked out of the blue.

I looked up from the dish that I was washing. "Things are great. He's wonderful and sweet, and I love him so much," I told her, honestly.

"That's just cause you're in the honeymoon stage," Rosalie said with a bit of scorn. "I'm sure it'll change in a few months."

I gritted my teeth, repeating to myself that I was playing nice. "I guess only time will tell. Personally, I think things are going to be just as wonderful then as they are now."

I finished washing the dishes and headed back into the living room to find Emmett and Carlisle in the middle of an arm wrestling match.

"What in the world?" I asked, sitting down next to Esme.

She rolled her eyes. "Emmett was bragging about how strong he is, and Carlisle decided to try and show him up. Sometimes, Bella, they never grow up."

I snickered. Emmett beat Carlisle pretty quickly, but it was fun to watch, and Carlisle was a graceful loser. Emmett then challenged Edward to a match, but Edward refused. Pouting, Emmett got Jasper to wrestle with him. I watched as Edward got up to head into the kitchen. A few minutes later Rosalie followed. I frowned, watching her movements. She was up to something. After a few minutes, I excused myself to get some water. I walked toward the kitchen and propped myself up against the entryway as I listened to Rosalie spew her lies.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Edward. I tried to be nice to her, but she won't even try. I realize that I was a complete bitch to both of you, but I've apologized. I'm trying to make amends, but Bella refuses to be nice to me."

Edward looked doubtful. "Bella told me she'd try to be nicer to you. She wouldn't lie to me."

"Look, if you don't believe me, you can ask Alice. She was in here when I was trying to talk to Bella."

"Perhaps you can refresh my memory, Rosalie? I don't remember being mean to you earlier. As a matter of fact, we only spoke a handful of words since you and Alice were busy talking," I said from my spot.

Rosalie's eyes went wide when she saw me standing there. I walked over, gave Edward a kiss, and grabbed a glass from the cabinet.

"I just came in here to get some water. I'll be gone in a few and you can continue telling your lies to Edward," I told her, turning the tap on and filling up my glass.

True to my word, once my glass was full, I left the kitchen. A few moments later, Edward was sitting down next to me.

"Have a good conversation?" I asked.

He gave a sigh. "She's adamant that you didn't even attempt to play nice."

I rolled my eyes. "I tried, but honestly, it's not worth my time. Ignoring her seems to be a better solution."

"I had thought she was changing, but now it just seems like she wants to get you in trouble with me."

I raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

He gave me a gentle shove. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm still going to be nice to her, but I'll be keeping an eye on her," he said.

"That's fine," I told him.

We spent a couple of more hours at the Cullens' house before heading back to my house. We were both a bit surprised to see Mark waiting for us when we pulled into the drive. It had been a month and we hadn't heard much about anything.

"Hey, kids," he said as we climbed out of my truck.

We greeted him and led him inside my house, where we all took a seat.

"What brings you by?" I asked.

"I've got bad news," he said.

Immediately, I grabbed Edward's hand, holding onto it tightly.

"What?" I asked softly.

"We found Laurent. He washed up on First Beach early this morning."

_Huh? What does he mean washed up? That makes it sound like he's dead. _

"He's dead?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

My brain was having a hard time comprehending what I was being told.

"How—how did he die?" I asked, not wanting to know the answer, but needing to.

"He was murdered."

_Holy fuck! Did that mean I was a suspect since we'd been having issues?_

I asked Mark, and he was quick to let me know that I was not a suspect. He asked for names and numbers for Laurent's next of kin. I gave him what little information I had. Mark thanked me and told me he'd keep me informed as best as he could. Edward walked him to the door, then came and sat down next to me.

"How are you?" he asked me, rubbing his hand over my back.

"In shock," I replied. "It's not like we were close the past few months, but we'd been together for quite some time. And while, I wasn't feeling very fond of him, I had at one point. I'm upset, and angry, and confused."

And then the tears began to fall. I tried to hold them back, but they started to pour out, and I couldn't stop them. Edward gathered me up in his arms, rocking me gently, and letting me get it all out. I didn't know how long I cried, but the tears finally stopped. Sitting back, I wiped my eyes, and blew my nose with the tissue Edward handed me. He smoothed my hair back from my face and gently wiped away the traces of tears.

"Ugh. It's so stupid to be this upset," I muttered more to myself than to Edward.

"No, it's not. He was your boyfriend at one point. Things might have ended badly, but he was someone you cared about and his life was cruelly ripped away. You're allowed to be upset."

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><p>The next week passed by slowly. Laurent's murderer was still in the wind, but his body had been sent back to Arizona for the funeral. I sat down and talked to Edward about going to the funeral. I wanted to go. Felt that I should, and Edward agreed. He couldn't get the time off to fly to Phoenix with me, so for the first time in months we were going to be separated. Jake and Seth had been fine with me leaving on such short notice and they told me to take a week off. I booked my flight and was a teary mess when Edward dropped me off at the airport in Seattle. I really wished he was coming with me.<p>

"I know, Sweet Girl. I wish I was able to go with you as well," he told me, pulling me into a hug.

"A week is a long time to not be with you," I said, burrowing myself in closer to him.

"It sure is, but we'll make it work. I love you. Don't forget that."

"I love you, too."

Five hours later, I was stepping off the plane in sunny, warm Phoenix. I heard someone calling my name and turned to see Renee coming toward me. I threw myself into her arms, enjoying the hug. While Renee would never win mother-of-the-year, she was still my mom, and I loved her. We spent the car ride to her house talking about everything.

"So you and Edward finally said I love you?" she asked as we turned down the road to her house.

"Yep."

"Well? Tell me! I want to know the deets!" she exclaimed.

"Did you just use the word deets? Really, Mom?"

"You're stalling. Tell me. Don't make me beg," she whined.

I rolled my eyes. Renee could be so child-like.

"We were at his brother's house, and he and his sister were talking. She was giving him some bullshit about how I was going to break his heart—"

"What? Why would she same something like that? Does she not know you?" Renee interrupted, appalled that Alice could think that about me.

"She's a bit immature. That's all I can figure. _Anyway_," I continued. "He told her that if I broke his heart than it got broken, but that he loved me. I can't tell you what hearing those words did to me."

Renee gave a girly squeal. "I knew you were in love. I just knew it! Anytime you would talk about Edward, there was something in your voice. Oh, honey. I'm so happy that you've found someone as wonderful as your Edward."

"Me, too."

As I got settled into my old room, we talked about Laurent and his funeral. She asked me how I was feeling about it all, and I told her. She and Charlie were going to the funeral with me tomorrow since they had known Laurent as well.

The next morning was bright and sunny. A contrast to the event that was happening. There was a small gathering at the funeral. Mainly, Laurent's family and a few friends. I saw the Denali sisters staring at me and whispering to each other. I had a feeling that they were going to try and talk to me. I had nothing to say to them. My gaze was pulled away from them, when Laurent's sister, Victoria approached me. We'd gotten along okay when Laurent and I were dating, but I was unsure of where we stood now.

"Hey, Bella," she said softly, her voice hoarse.

"Hey, Victoria," I told her before giving her hug.

She clung to me, and I held her as she cried. Once we parted, we talked softly about Laurent and how she was holding up.

"It's so hard to believe that he's gone. Who would do this to him?"

"I don't know, but you can bet Chief Hunter will find out."

After I got done talking to Victoria and giving my condolences to Laurent's family, I headed toward Renee's car. Renee and Charlie had gone ahead as I talked with Victoria and her family. I was almost to the car when I was accosted by the Denali sisters. Irina and Tanya were tall, anorexic blonds with attitudes a mile wide.

"Bella," Irina said.

I gave her a nod. I didn't feel like wasting my breath talking to her.

"We were surprised to see you here after what you did to Laurent," Tanya said.

Ignoring her, I kept walking toward the car. I was almost there when Tanya reached out and dug her acrylic nails into my arm. _Fuck! That shit hurt._ I grabbed her wrist, applying as much force as I could to it as I yanked her claws off of me.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I hissed at her.

"Don't act all high and mighty with me, Swan! How the fuck you can even show your face here is beyond me! You broke his fucking heart!"

I had no idea what she was talking about and frankly, I didn't care.

"Not that it's any of your fucking business, but Laurent broke up with me. Not the other way around. Perhaps, you should get your facts straight before you go spouting off shit you know nothing about. Now is not the time or the place for you to go about making a spectacle of yourself," I told her before heading toward Renee and Charlie.

The funeral and the confrontation with the Denali sisters had worn me out. When we got back to the house, I crawled into my old bed, and called Edward.

"Hey, Bella. How are you, Sweet Girl?"

"Exhausted," I told him.

I filled him on everything and then we said goodbye. I was missing him more than ever and really wished he was there with me. I ended up taking a nap for a couple of hours before Renee woke me up. Charlie had grilled out steak, and we spent a relaxed evening together.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was going through serious Edward withdrawal. I missed him so fucking much, it hurt. I was lying on a chaise lounge in the backyard enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face when I heard Renee holler for me. I got up, slid my shoes back on and headed into the house. I heard Renee talking to someone so I headed toward the front room.

"Edward!" I yelled when I saw my beautiful boy standing there.

I threw myself into his arms and held on. God, I'd missed him something fierce. His arms wrapped around me and held me tight as I pressed kisses all over his face. Completely ignoring the fact that my mother was standing right there, I brought Edward down for a long, hot kiss.

I vaguely heard Renee clear her throat from behind me.

"Are you going to introduce us?" she asked with a smirk on her face, once I'd peeled myself away from Edward's lips.

My face heated a bit, but it was nothing compared to the blush covering Edward's. Letting out a small giggle, I grabbed his hand and introduced him officially to Renee.

"Mom, as I'm sure you know this is Edward. Edward, this is my mom."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs—"

"Renee. Just call me Renee. And it's wonderful to meet the young man my daughter's in love with," Renee said, giving Edward a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Refusing to relinquish my hold on him, I dragged him into the living room and sat down next to him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I snuggled up next to him.

"I managed to get the weekend off so that I could be with you. It's hard being away from you for so long," he admitted shyly as his fingers played with my hair.

Resting my head on his shoulder, I told him how very glad I was to have him here.

"You'd better not be thinking about getting a hotel room while you're here, young man. You can stay in Bella's old room with her," Renee said after Edward revealed that he was there for the weekend.

"I don't want to inconvenience you," he started to say before she shushed him.

"Bella, dear? Why don't you show Edward your room, while I let Charlie know that Edward's here."

I grabbed Edward's hand and noticed him pick up a small duffel bag before heading up the stairs. My room hadn't changed in the time I'd been gone. I pushed open the door and watched as Edward took a good look around. In true Bella fashion, the room was a mess. All of my clothes were thrown around the room and there were books piled up on every surface. He dropped his bag on the overstuffed chair in the corner before flopping down on my bed. He looked good there. Crawling onto the bed, I curled up next to him.

"Thank you for coming down here."

"I couldn't stand being away from you any longer. Besides, I needed a change from the cold, dreary weather. Maybe you can show me around while we're here."

"Of course. We'll soak up as much sun as we can," I told him while tracing circles across his shirt.

His hand came up and grasped mine before he brought it to his lips for a kiss. He let my hand go and rolled onto his side so that he was facing me. He brushed a lock of hair out of my eyes before leaning down and giving me a slow, hot kiss. God, I'd missed his kisses. My lips parted and his tongue delved in, tangling with my own. Slowly, he pulled away, nipping at my bottom lip before attacking my mouth again. For a while we got lost in the sensation of our kisses, but we were quickly brought back to reality by Renee's hollering for us to come downstairs.

Quickly, I ran a brush through my hair while Edward attempted to fix his. It was hopeless. He had sex hair no matter what he did with it. Grabbing his hand, we headed downstairs where I found Renee waiting for us.

"I thought we could meet Charlie for dinner. He has to work late tonight, but I figured we could meet him for his dinner break at Black Angus Steakhouse if that's okay with you guys?"

We told her that was fine and a few minutes later we were in her tiny ass Mini Cooper. I hated that fucking car, and I could tell Edward was a bit cramped as well. Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of the steakhouse and parked next to Charlie's cruiser. He was waiting on the deck of the restaurant for us.

"Hey, Charlie," I said, giving him a hug. "This is my boyfriend, Edward. Edward, this is my step-dad Charlie."

Edward stepped forward and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

Charlie looked Edward up and down before shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, too. Bella's told us a quite a bit about you."

Thankfully, dinner wasn't awkward. I'd been afraid that Charlie would interrogate Edward the whole time, but he didn't. As a matter of fact, they seemed to get along really well. After dinner we said goodbye to Charlie and headed back to the house. I asked Renee if I could borrow her car the following day to show Edward my favorite places in Phoenix.

"Sure. I'm on Spring Break this week so that works out fine."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked. "We don't want to put you out."

"I'll be fine. You kids should go have fun tomorrow before heading back to Forks."

Later that night, we climbed into my old bed together. I snuggled up as close to Edward as I could, draping my leg over his, holding him close.

"I love you so fucking much," I told him a bit fiercely.

"I love you so freaking much," he replied, making me giggle.

Very rarely did my Edward ever swear. Come to think of it, the only times I'd really ever heard him swear were when we were getting busy. And that gave me an idea. I wondered if perhaps I couldn't get him to swear while he was in Phoenix with me. He was lying on his back, arms crossed behind his head as he watched me move around. I got on my knees then straddled his body. Automatically, his hands went to my waist to steady me and hold me to him.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked me quietly.

I gave him a wicked grin. "Well, I've come to the conclusion that you only swear during or after the throws of passion, so I'm making it my goal to get you to swear while we're here."

I saw him bite his lip and his eyes widen. "I ... uh—is it okay to do that in your parents' house? It just feels wrong," he said.

Leaning down, I nipped the bottom lip he'd been biting. "That's part of the fun. You'll have to be quiet so we don't get caught."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "I'll have to be quiet? What about you? You're the screamer."

I gave him a smirk. "I can be quiet if I have to be."

He looked like he might object yet again, so I effectively silenced him by thrusting my tongue into his mouth at the same time that I pressed my lower body to his. His hips jerked in response and he let out a low groan.

"Shh," I reminded him.

His hands moved up my torso, pushing my tank top over my head, leaving me bare to his gaze. One of his hands roamed over my hip and down to my ass giving it a gentle squeeze, while the other squeezed my breast. I arched my back, stifling the moan that wanted to erupt. The hand on my ass began to slowly move toward my front, and I felt his warm hand cup me gently. I let out a soft sigh and rocked against him causing him to let out a low, quiet moan.

I felt him tugging at my panties, so carefully, I lifted my body up and helped him remove it. Once my panties were gone, he rubbed his fingers up and down my slit. My hands were gripping his shoulders, my eyes closed, and I was completely focused on the feelings he was causing. He grazed my clit with his finger, causing me to jump a bit before he slid it lower and into me. A few thrusts later, and I was a gasping mess sprawled out across his chest.

"I need you," I told him in a slightly breathless voice as I cupped his thick, hard erection through his boxers.

Immediately, he began to tug them down while I pressed kisses over his chest and then on his lips. His mouth opened and I thrust my tongue into the welcoming heat.

"You drive me crazy, Bella," he said in a whisper as he rolled us over.

"The feeling is mutual," I told him, loving the heavy feel of him between my thighs.

The head of his cock pressed against me, and I spread myself a bit wider, allowing him to slide home. We both let out sighs as he filled me to the hilt. His thrusts started off slow, and soon quickened. His mouth pressed hungry kisses to my throat, my breasts, and every other bit of skin he could find. I wrapped my legs tightly around his hips, meeting him thrust for thrust, my heels digging into the back of his thighs. His thrusts were becoming harder and more erratic and he hit a spot inside of me that had me seeing stars. I let out a strangled cry that he quickly silenced with his mouth. It only took a few more thrusts before we both came, groaning into each other's mouths.

Gently, he rolled off of me and flopped onto his back, attempting to get air back into his lungs. I got up and went to the bathroom adjoining my room to quickly clean up, then came back and curled up against him.

"I've missed that," he said, pulling me into him. "Well, not just sex. I missed you as well."

I let out a small giggle. "I knew what you meant. I've missed you and sex with you. I'm so happy to have you here."

"I'm very glad to be here. I love you, Bella Swan," he said, his voice drifting off as his eyes closed.

"I love you, Edward Cullen. Get some sleep because tomorrow we're going to be busy," I whispered before placing a kiss on his lips.

"I can't wait to spend the day with you."

As I lay curled up to him, on the brink of falling asleep, I realized that my life was pretty fucking fantastic.

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><p>an: So this chapter kinda got away from me. I'd always planned on Laurent dying although the person who killed him has changed from who I originally had planned it to be. That's the way it goes though. My stories never go as planned. More fun that way. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Leave me some love or whiskey. Maybe a party favor or two.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own it. I do have four tattoos and hundreds of books.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! It always makes me happy to see those wonderful emails alerting me that someone responded to my story. This week has been hectic, and I'm transitioning to my full-time job this weekend, so I'm not positive when I'll get the next chapter up. Should be no later than say, next Wed. But I make no promises. Once again, this is un-beta's so I apologize for any and all mistakes.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**There is no friend as loyal as a book.~ Ernest Hemingway**

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><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

I was a mess after watching Bella board the plane. It was stupid. Couples spent time apart. It wasn't the end of the world, but it sure felt like it. The fact that she was going to be gone for a week weighed heavily on me, and I felt myself brooding. Her plane hadn't even left yet, and I was already missing her something terribly. I was a lovesick fool. There was no doubt about it. I hung around the airport until her plane left, then I slowly walked to my car. The drive home was quiet and lonely, and it seemed to take forever. I pulled into my drive and gave her empty house a sad look. Lord, I was pathetic.

I killed several hours watching Doctor Who and reading, but my mind wasn't really focused. Finally, finally my phone rang. I grabbed it and was elated to hear Bella's voice on the other end. She told me that she'd made it to Phoenix safely, her mom had picked her up, and that they were heading to her mom's place. We spent a while talking, but I noticed that she sounded tired so reluctantly we hung up.

I woke up the next day in a bad mood. My dreams had been dark and disturbing. I had dreamed that Laurent came back and killed Bella and nothing I did saved her. Running a hand over my face, I climbed out of bed and headed toward my shower.

As I stepped outside, I was hit with a gust of wind and rain. Big surprise there. I trudged over to my car and headed off to work. What would normally be a simple, easy drive had turned into a freaking nightmare. The road I normally took was closed, so I had to take a detour that took me a few extra minutes, and I managed to hit every red light along the way. By the time I made it to the library, I was running late, and I'd never gotten around to replacing the umbrella that had been destroyed back when I first met Bella. Soaking wet and pissed off, I stomped into the library to find our little band of employees sitting around a table in the back.

"You're late," Mrs. Cope said, sounding irritated.

Barely containing myself from rolling my eyes, I apologized for my tardiness wondering if perhaps, I wasn't the only one who had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. After putting my stuff away at my desk, I sat down at the table and waited for Mrs. Cope to continue.

"Now that we're all here," she began, looking at me. "I have some bad news. The mayor has cut the funding for the library by half. We're going to be looking at some big changes in the next few months."

"What kind of changes? What does that mean for us? For me?" Jasper asked.

Mrs. Cope folded her hands in front of her on the table and barely met his gaze.

"We'll be keeping the local history room, but the hours will be cut drastically. Everyone's hours will be cut drastically. As a matter of fact, the library will only be open half the time it is now. We won't be open on the weekends at all. We'll be open Monday through Thursday from noon to six."

I think we were all in shock. What kind of moron closes the library on the weekends and cuts the hours back? Anger and outrage poured through me. How the hell were we supposed to live if our hours were being cut like that?

"We're only going to be working twenty-four hours a week?" Angela asked furiously.

Mrs. Cope nodded.

"What about our benefits?" I asked.

Mrs. Cope took a deep breath before she began to speak. "You'll still have benefits if you want them, but since you will no longer be considered full time, the benefits are going to cost you more."

"This is such fucking bullshit!" Jasper yelled, smacking his hand down on the table. "How the fuck are we supposed to live? We're going to all have to get second jobs in order to make our rent or pay our bills."

"Jasper. The local history room will only be open two hours a day," Mrs. Cope told him tentatively.

"So I might as well just quit," he said, anger lacing his voice.

Mrs. Cope talked to us a bit more before telling us that the changes were going into effect within a month. Needless to say, the rest of the day was quiet and tense. It's not like Forks was teeming with jobs, especially for a guy with nothing but a Bachelor's degree in English. At least Jasper had a teaching degree. He could get a job teaching history if any of the area schools were hiring. I, on the other hand, had no idea what I as going to do. I suppose I could get a job working at the grocery store or something. I hoped that perhaps Bella would have an idea as to what I could do.

After work, I headed home doing my best not to dwell on how things had suddenly gone from good to bad. They say bad things come in threes, so I was afraid to find out what else was left. Laurent got murdered, my job basically got murdered, what was next?

I spent the next few days trying to figure out what to do with my life. I'd talked to Bella a few times, but hadn't mentioned what was going at the library. She was dealing with enough as it was at the moment. I was sitting at my desk at work when a thought occurred to me. I had plenty of vacation time, sick time, and personal leave. I should go be with Bella in Phoenix. Technically, I was supposed to give a two week notice for vacation, but I was at the point where I just didn't care anymore. If Mrs. Cope had a problem with it or denied it, I'd just call in sick for a weekend.

Getting up, I went to Mrs. Cope's office and knocked on her door. After a few minutes of talking, she approved my vacation time. The minute I was back at my desk, I looked up tickets to Phoenix and Googled her mother's address. Thankfully, her mom was listed in the white pages.

"What'cha doing?" Jasper asked, sitting down next to me.

"Booking a flight to Phoenix."

"Nice. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. I need to get away from this place and just be with Bella."

"I hear that. I'm so tempted to just say fuck it and walk out. Hell, maybe I should."

Turning to face him, I asked, "What are you going to do when you do leave?"

He shrugged. "Guess I'll see if I can't put that teaching degree to use. I've got to help pay for this big ass wedding that your sister is going to want. Not to mention, that I've been saving up to buy a house, and I can't do that if I ain't got any money. What about you?"

"No clue," I told him as I confirmed my ticket purchase. "I, honestly, have no idea what I'm going to do. Maybe I can get a job in Port Angeles and carpool with Bella."

"There you go. You can learn to draw and then become a tattoo artist."

I snorted. "Yeah, I think not. Nobody wants tattoos of stick people on their arms."

Once the day was over, I headed home and started packing. I was very excited to be going to see my girl. My Bella. I awoke the next day to the alarm blaring in my ear. It was way to early to be up, but the drive to Seattle was a three hour trip, plus they always warn you to arrive early. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of traffic along the way, and I made it safely to the airport. I parked in the long term parking, then caught a shuttle.

Two hours later, I was in the air, heading to Phoenix. I was excited. Not just to see Bella, but to be going to Phoenix. I'd never been to Arizona before, and it would be a welcome change from the chilly and wet. After I landed in Phoenix, I caught a cab that took me to Renee Swan's house. At least I hoped it was her house. _What if she'd moved? _I quickly stopped that train of thought. Thirty minutes later, I pulled up in front of a nice looking, two-story house. I paid the cab driver, grabbed my bag, and headed up the walk, hoping that I hadn't made a huge mistake in going there.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I reached out and knocked on the door. I heard a woman's voice telling me to wait a moment before the door opened.

"May I help you?" she politely asked.

_Crap._ I couldn't think of what to say. I finally blurted out, "I'm Edward. Is Bella here? Is this the right house?"

The small woman in front of me gave a giggle. There was a sparkle in her eye and when she smiled at me, I saw Bella.

"Well, hello Edward. It's nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you from Bella. She's here. Most likely out in the back enjoying the sun. She didn't mention that you were coming for a visit," Bella's mother said as she gestured me inside.

"That's because she didn't know. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get the time off, but I was able to, and I wanted to be here for her."

"Aren't you just the sweetest thing? Oh, Bella's going to be so thrilled that you're here," she told me before bellowing out Bella's name.

A few moments later, I saw her. She looked annoyed that her afternoon had been interrupted. Then she saw me. Her face lit up, and I knew mine did too. Before I could blink, she was hollering my name and throwing herself into my arms. I held onto her tightly as she pressed kisses all over my face before drawing me into a deep kiss. I was so caught up in being with her that I'd forgotten that her mother was standing there until I heard her clear her throat.

"Are you going to introduce us?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

I felt my face catch on fire, and I noticed that Bella's face was a bit pink as well. Bella let out a giggle and grabbed my hand, formally introducing me to her mother.

"Mom, as I'm sure you know this is Edward. Edward, this is my mom."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Swan," I began but was quickly interrupted.

"Renee. Just call me Renee. And it's wonderful to meet the young man my daughter's in love with," Renee said, giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Holding my hand tightly, Bella dragged me into the living room and sat down on the couch with me. Immediately, she snuggled up next to me and asked what I was doing there.

"I got the weekend off so that I could be with you. It's hard being away from you for so long," I shyly admitted to her.

Renee informed me that I would be staying with them and could share Bella's room. I felt a thrill go through me at the thought of getting to hold my girl again. It had only been a few days, but it had felt like forever. We chatted for a bit more before Bella took my hand, and we headed up the stairs to her old room. I took a good look around it after she opened the door. It was a mess. I'd come to expect that from her. There were clothes and books everywhere. I shook my head at the mess and dropped my bag on an overstuffed chair before flopping down on her bed.

"Thank you for coming down here," she said softly as she curled up next to me.

"I couldn't stand being away from you any longer. Besides, I needed a change from the cold, dreary weather. Maybe you can show me around while we're here."

"Of course. We'll soak up as much sun as we can," she told me.

I reached out and took her hand, pressing a kiss to it before rolling onto my side. She looked so beautiful but there was a sadness in her eyes they made my heart hurt. Brushing a lock of hair out of the way, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. We spent the next few minutes kissing before I pulled away, nipping her bottom lip before pressing my lips to hers again. It was so easy to get lost in her kisses, but we were interrupted by her mother hollering for us.

After straightening ourselves up, we headed downstairs where we were met by Renee. She informed us that we would be meeting up with her husband, Charlie, for dinner at some steakhouse. We crammed into Renee's tiny car and took off. I was extremely nervous about meeting Mr. Swan. I knew he was a cop and that Bella thought of him as her dad. All I could picture was the man interrogating me about my intentions toward his daughter. I wiped my sweaty palms off on my pants as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself to meet Bella's step-dad.

She spotted him waiting and ran over to him, giving him a huge hug before introducing me. I stepped forward and held out a hand, telling him it was nice to meet him. I hoped like heck he wouldn't notice how terrified I was.

"Nice to meet you, too. Bella's told us a quite a bit about you," he replied, shaking my hand.

Surprisingly, dinner went really well. It seemed that Charlie and I had a bit in common and we spent dinner talking about our various interest in books and whatnot. After dinner, we headed back to the house and Bella told me that she was going to show me around Phoenix. I was excited to see where she had spent the past few years of her life.

Later that night we were snuggled up close to one another, and I was enjoying every minute of it. I wanted to make love to her, but I felt a bit odd about doing that in her parents' house, especially with them right down the hallway. I was so caught up in thinking that I was a bit startled when she straddled me. Looking into her face, I saw a mischievous smile. She was up to something.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked her quietly.

"Well, I've come to the conclusion that you only swear during or after the throws of passion, so I'm making it my goal to get you to swear while we're here."

I felt my face flush and my eyes grew wide. "I ... uh—is it okay to do that in your parents' house? It just feels wrong."

"That's part of the fun," she said. "You'll have to be quiet so we don't get caught."

"I'll have to be quiet? What about you? You're the screamer," I said with a smirk.

She gave me a smirk back and informed me that she could be quiet. _We'd see about that._ I was about to speak up when she leaned down, pressed her lips to mine. Our tongues began a slow, sensual duel as she pressed her body to mine. My hips jerked up on their own accord, and I let out a throaty moan. She was a wicked temptress. She quickly shushed me, and I was once again reminded of where we were.

A long while later, I was laying on my back trying to get air back into my lungs. Bella left to get cleaned up, but was back quickly and curled up against me.

"I've missed that," I told her. "Well, not just sex. I missed you as well."

She let out a giggle. "I knew what you meant. I've missed you and sex with you. I'm so happy to have you here."

"I'm very glad to be here. I love you, Bella Swan."

"I love you, Edward Cullen. Get some sleep because tomorrow we're going to be busy," she whispered.

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><p>I woke up the next day with my face nestled in tons of silky brown hair. I'd been afraid it was all dream and that I'd wake up in my bed in Forks. Bella let out a mumble and curled up closer to me. There were moments where I could still hardly believe that she was mine. I reached over and ran my hand up and down her side before slowly moving up her torso to cup her breast in my hand. I loved the way she felt, the way she fit perfectly in my hand. She let out a low moan as I continued to play with her. My fingers found her nipple and plucked it gently.<p>

Thirty minutes later we were dressed, fed, and on our way out the door. Half an hour later we pulled up outside of New Moon. Bella's old stomping grounds. Her face was lit up, and I could tell she was positively giddy at seeing some old colleagues and friends. Taking my hand, we walked into the shop.

There was an older Native American guy sitting behind the counter.

"Can I help—Bella!"

"Billy!" she cried before she was wrapped up in a hug by the older guy.

I knew that Billy was Jake's dad and looking at him it was easy to see the resemblance. Leaving them to catch up, I wondered around the waiting area, taking in all the designs on the walls. The place had a nice feel to it, and I found myself drawn to several designs on one of the walls. As I got closer I realized that they weren't designs, but quotes taken from different books and poems. I don't know how long I stood there staring at them. I had never really thought about getting a tattoo. That wasn't who I was. Or was it? The longer I stood there staring at them, the more I realized that I kind of wanted one.

"This is Edward. My boyfriend." Bella said, placing a hand on my arm, pulling me away from the quotes on the wall. "Edward, this is Billy Black, Jake's dad."

I stuck my hand and shook his. We stood around talking for a bit, and I was introduced to countless people who's names I would never remember. But the whole time my gaze kept being drawn back to the quotes.

"Are you interested in getting a literary tattoo?" Billy asked me.

I answered yes before I even realized it. Bella turned to look at me with a slightly stunned expression on her face.

"Really? You want a tattoo?" she asked, incredulously.

"I—uh, apparently. I really like the way they look," I told her suddenly unsure of myself.

"If you want one, there's no one better than to tattoo you, than Billy. But baby. You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Bella told me, her hand on my arm, her eyes piercing mine.

I nodded. I knew that. It just felt right. Like I was supposed to get one.

"Can I use a quote different from those on the wall?" I asked.

Billy grinned. "Of course. You got something in mind?"

I nodded. "There's a quote from Mark Twain's _Life on the Mississippi_ that I really like. It's not very long. _One lives to find out_."

Billy nodded. "I like it. We could easily do that. Now you just need to decide what kind of font you want us to use and where you want it."

I had no idea they could use different fonts. I turned to Bella seeking her guidance.

"You're on your own. It's your tattoo. Get what you want, however you want, where ever you want," she said with a smile.

"Fine. Fine. Can you do a typewriter kind of font? I think that would look cool," I said, almost unable to believe that was contemplating the fonts of a tattoo.

"We sure can," Billy said.

"Okay. I think maybe on the inside of my wrist would be a good place. Or maybe my forearm? Or—oh, I thought of a different quote! _To thine own self be true._ That's a good one too. Crap. How the heck am I supposed to just pick one?" I grumbled.

Bella and Billy started to laugh.

"You don't have to pick just one. You can always get another tattoo later. It's not a one-time only deal," Bella said, teasing me a bit.

I stuck my tongue out at her. She wasn't being much help. I turned to Billy and found him grinning at us.

"Alright. I'm ready. I think. No, I am. Let's do this before I change my mind about what quote I want," I said.

"Are you sure?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, I am."

Billy, Bella, and I walked to the back where Billy had me sit down on a chair.

"Okay kid. What quote are you getting?"

"_One lives to find out. _I want it with typewriter font, on the inside of my left wrist," I told him.

He left to go draw it up, and Bella turned to me.

"Are you really sure you want to do this? Don't get me wrong. I think it's completely fuck-hot that you're getting a tat, but I want to make sure that you're getting it for you."

I couldn't help but smile at how sweet my girl was. I reached over and traced my finger across her cheek.

"If you had told me a few months ago that I'd be getting a tattoo, I would've laughed at you. But, today, it just—it seems like the right thing to do. My life has changed so much since you came into it. And for the better. I promise you, getting this tattoo is something I want to do."

She stared at me before placing a kiss upon my lips.

"Okay," she said, then snorted. "Emmett's gonna freak out when he finds out you got a tat!"

I hadn't even thought about that.

"Heck, he won't be the only one. I'm sure Jasper will have something to say as well."

A few minutes later, Billy came back with the design. It looked awesome. He put the stencil on my wrist and asked if it looked good. I thought so as did Bella. I watched as Billy prepared everything and then reached out and grasped Bella's hand. The nerves had begun to kick in. I didn't do well with pain and was terrified that I was gonna cry like a baby.

"It'll be okay. I promise. Just remember to breath," Bella told me, placing a kiss on my cheek.

I let out a hiss of pain as Billy began. It hurt, but it wasn't unbearable. I did everything I could not to focus on the sting of the needle, instead focusing on Bella as she and Billy told me stories about their time together at New Moon. Finally, the tattoo was done. I looked down at it and was pleased at what I saw. It looked good. Like, really good. I could scarcely believe it. I, Edward Cullen, nerd-extraordinare, had a tattoo.

"Holy shit. That looks fucking hot on you," Bella said.

The look in her eye made me wish we were somewhere private. She licked her lips, and I stifled back a groan. She was trying to kill me! I partially listened to Billy as he went over the aftercare with me.

"If you have any questions, you can ask Bella. She'll know," he told me after putting a protective cover on my new tattoo.

I went to pay him, but he waved it off. Knowing that he wouldn't take a payment, I left a large tip in the tip jar on the counter. We left the shop and the minute we got into her mom's car, she attacked me. Warm lips met mine in a frenzied kiss. Tongues and teeth fought for dominance. Eventually, we broke the kiss for some much needed air.

"Okay," I said, after I caught my breath. "Where to next?"

She gave me a beautiful smile. "Some place I think you'll enjoy very much."

We drove for about fifteen minutes before pulled up to a rather large building. A sign outside the building said that it was the Burton Barr Central Library. We got out of the car and walked into the library, and I was in awe. It was amazing. There was a reflecting pool, comfy couches, glass elevators. I was in heaven.

"C'mon. I want to show you something," Bella said, dragging me with her to the elevator.

We rode up to the fifth floor and got out. She explained that this was the Great Reading Room. There were skylights and a floating ceiling. I never wanted to leave. Seriously. I could easily spend the rest of my life in that library. Bella lead us over to one of the couches and we sat down on it, looking out at the amazing view that was presented. Sitting there in the library reminded me of the issues going on at home, and I let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?" she asked, leaning her head against my shoulder.

"I need to find a new job."

"What? Why?"

"The mayor has cut funding for the library. Starting next month they've got our hours by more than half. I'll only be working twenty-four hours a week. I can't survive on that. I don't know what I'm going to do," I told her quietly.

"Oh, Edward. I'm so sorry. I know how much you love the library."

"Yeah. It totally sucks. Jasper has a teaching degree so he can possibly get a teaching job, but me? I just have a degree in English. There's nothing in Forks, but I guess I'll look into jobs in Port Angeles."

"You'll find something. I have faith in you. What skills do you have?"

"Uh. Well. I'm a fast learner, I'm pretty computer savvy for the most part, and I'm certified in all the Microsoft Office stuff."

"There you go. Maybe we can find you a job doing something with computers," she suggested.

"Probably not. They want you to have an IT degree usually. I guess I'll just have to look and see what's out there. I don't imagine there's a whole lot."

After our talk, we went down to the library cafe and had a quick lunch. I was interested to see where she would take me next.

"Okay, so I'm giving you a choice on where we go next. We can either go to Castles N' Coasters which is an amusement park or we can to the Arizona Science Center."

I wasn't a huge fan of amusement parks, so I hoped she wouldn't be too upset when I told her I'd rather go to the science center.

"I'm cool with it. I love the science center. They have a planetarium."

We spent four hours at the science center having a blast. They'd had a program on pirates which was immensely fascinating as well as seeing the Van Gogh exhibit that they had. It was a complete blast. The best part was the planetarium and stealing kisses in the dark. By the time we left the science center it was twilight. The sky was a beautiful, the air was warm, and I was with the love of my life. Suddenly, things didn't seem so bad.

The ride back to the Swan house was quiet. We were each lost in our own thoughts. It had been so nice spending time with Bella away from everyone. I was almost sad to be leaving Phoenix in the morning. Looking over, I noticed that Bella looked a bit sad too. She'd had a trying week to say the least.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

She turned her head and gave me a slight smile. "Yes. Just a bit sad to be leaving. I'd forgotten how much I missed Phoenix and my mom and Charlie."

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><p>The weather that greeted us upon leaving the airport was dismal at best. It didn't matter that it was March. It was still chilly and windy. The rain began once we got closer to Port Angeles. As we were driving Bella asked if we could stop in La Push. She had some stuff to give Jake that Billy had given her. I'd never really been to La Push before. I'd been to First Beach once or twice as a kid, but for the most part I had stuck to Forks. I pulled into the driveway of a small red house. We climbed out and were greeted by Jake as he opened the door.<p>

"Hey, hey! How was Phoenix, Bells?" he asked after giving her a hug and me a clap on the back.

"Good. Edward showed up on Friday so I got to show him around. Oh, guess what?"

"What?" Jake asked as he lead us into the small living room where Seth was sitting on a couch. We exchanged hellos before Bella began speaking again.

"Your dad gave Edward a tat!" she crowed.

Jake and Seth had stunned expressions on their faces.

"No fucking way! Little Cullen has a tat! Show me!" Jake demanded.

I took off my jacket and rolled up the sleeve of my shirt. I hadn't told Bella, but I got a little thrill every time I looked at it. I was sure she would understand though.

"Nice. Dad did a good job. What's the quote from?"

"It's from _Life on the Mississippi_ by Mark Twain. It's a quote that always stuck with me," I explained.

"I like it. So are there going to be more tats in your future?" Seth asked from behind Jake.

I gave a shrug. "Possibly. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"They're addictive. Just ask any one of us," Seth warned.

We spent some time hanging out with Jake and Seth, and it made me realize that we never hung out with them. We would hang out with each other, or go to my parents' house, but we never just hung out with her friends. And I felt that they were my friends as well. I'd met Jake and Seth a handful of times over the years, but we'd never really gotten to know one another. I liked both of them and it warmed my heart to know that Bella had such good friends in them.

"We should do this more often," Jake said as we were getting ready to leave.

"We totally should," Bella said. "Perhaps we can have a couples get together once a week. What do you think, Edward?"

"Sounds good to me. It's been great getting to know the two of you better."

"Excellent. Do we want to do it on Sundays?" Jake asked.

"We usually do Sunday brunch at my folks house every week, but—"

"How about during the week then? Like on Wednesday nights? We could alternate hanging out here and in Forks," Seth interrupted.

We all agreed, then Bella and I said our goodbyes. It had been a long day for both of us, and I was extremely happy to be home. I pulled into my drive, and we got out.

"Want to sleep at my place?" Bella asked.

"Sure."

After dropping off my bag, we headed to her house. I could tell that Bella was exhausted as I was. Slowly, we undressed and climbed into her bed. We had gotten into the habit of sleeping naked together, and I loved the feel of her skin against mine. As I wrapped myself around her, she pressed a gentle kiss to my tattoo.

"I love you," she whispered, her voice thick with sleep.

"I love you, too. Sweet dreams, my sweet girl," I told her.

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><p>an: tada! Chapter 17 completed. Again, I didn't plan on Edward getting a tat, but the boy wanted one so he got one. So, I need some help from you all. Edward will be leaving his job at the library. Sadly, most libraries are having their funding cut. I know mine did. Hence, one of the many reasons I'm leaving mine and going to work for an Internet company. Now, what I need is a good job for our nerdy Edward. I'd prefer a nerdy type job. Suggestions are welcome! He could end up at a library in Port Angeles, he could end up working at a bakery or even McD's. So leave me a review with your ideas, and I'll use one of them.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Is my name Stephenie Meyer? No? Guess, I don't own it then.

A/N: I wrote the first part of this chapter after being up for over 27 hours. Needless to say, I had to go back and re-read and re-write some of it. I was cracking myself up because parts of it made no sense whatsoever. Anyway, a big thank you all so much for your reviews and suggestions last chapter. You all have given me some great ideas to ponder over.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"A tattoo is an affirmation: that this body is yours to have and to enjoy while you're here. Nobody else can control what you do with it." ~Don Ed Hardy**

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><p><strong>BPOV:<strong>

The past week had been one of the best weeks of my life, despite the fact that it had started off so horribly. Laurent's death had hit me hard. Harder than I would have thought and attending his funeral was surreal. As much as I had disliked him toward the end of our relationship, he'd been a good guy at one point, and I was sorry for the loss that his family was going through.

However, having Edward show up in Phoenix had been wonderful. He had perfect timing; arriving just when I needed him most. I was awfully glad that he had managed to get time away, and I'd had a great time showing him around. All too soon, our time in Phoenix had ended, and we'd headed back to Forks. The next week was spent readjusting. Even though I'd only been gone a week, it took me a while to get back into the swing of things.

I was sitting behind the counter at Eclipse, going over our appointment books when Alice walked into the shop. I was surprised and a bit shocked to see her. She had a look on her face that told me she wasn't in a good mood. _Fan-fucking-tastic. _Just what I needed. I'd just about had it with her and her childish attitude. I knew that Edward was more than a bit annoyed with her as well.

"Hello, Alice. What brings you by?" I asked as politely as I could.

She gave me a stony glare as she approached the counter. I'd heard from Edward all about Alice's temper, and I wasn't afraid to admit that I was glad there was a barrier between us. If it came down to it, I knew I could take her in a fight, but I was really hoping it wouldn't come to that.

"I saw Edward at the library today," she said.

"And?" I asked, wondering where she was going with that.

"It seems my brother has a tattoo. Care to explain that?"

"What's to explain? So, he's got a tat. Big fucking deal. He's an adult. He can do what he wants," I told her.

She fisted her hands on her hips and looked like a two year-old about to throw a tantrum. She opened her mouth to say more, but I cut her off. I was tired of her fucking bullshit.

"Alice. Let it go. I don't know why you feel the need to interfere in your brother's life, but it stops now. I understand that you love Edward and want what's best for him, but you need to back the fuck off and let him live his life. I don't know how many times I have to tell you people. He. Is. An. Adult. Start treating him like one," I snapped.

I could see Jake and Seth hovering around the corner, ready to come to my rescue should I have needed it. I shook my head slightly to indicate that I was fine, while keeping my eyes on Alice. Her mouth had fallen open after my little speech, and she seemed at a loss for words.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Nothing to say to that?"

She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally gathered her thoughts.

"I'm not trying to run his life," she quietly told me.

"Could've fooled me."

"I just worry about him. He's always been so quiet and shy and insecure. You're out of his league, and I'm terrified that you're going to hurt him."

I rolled my eyes. I'd heard that crap from her before. "Get over it. I'm not going to fucking hurt him, but even if I did, he'd survive. He's so much stronger than you give him credit for. Just back the fuck off and let him live his life. Stop monitoring his every move and questioning everything he does. It's annoying. To both of us."

She nodded and turned to leave. I guess it was asking too much for her to apologize for her childish behavior. If it continued though, I wasn't above going to her parents and seeing if they couldn't have a talk with her. As she was walking out the door, I heard her mumble something about Rosalie being right. I narrowed my eyes and stalked after her, grabbing her arm before she could leave.

I yanked her around, ignoring her indignant squawking. "What was that about Rosalie? What was she right about?" I asked.

She struggled to get out of my grip, but I wasn't about to let her go until I got an answer.

"Explain what you meant, Alice. I'm seriously tired of the fucking bullshit games you and Rosalie are playing."

Jake came from the back, locked the front door and put up the closed sign. He indicated that he and Seth would be in the back if I needed them. I dragged Alice over to the couch in the waiting area and stood there starting at her until she finally spoke.

"Rose is just worried about Edward, like I am," she said in defense, not answering my question at all.

"Oh, really?" I asked her. "Rosalie has been nothing but a heinous bitch to Edward since she came into his life. Then she decided to try and play nice a couple of weeks ago, and that backfired on her. So, don't try and play the whole 'Rose is worried about Edward' card."

She let out a long sigh, looking everywhere but at me.

"She doesn't mean to be a bitch, she just comes off that way. That's who she is. Emmett had a talk with her a while back about her being so bitchy to Edward, and she's doing her best to tone it down. She's not up to anything."

I gave her an incredulous look. Realizing that I wasn't satisfied with her answer, she continued.

"When we were over at their place for dinner, Rosalie mentioned that she was worried about how fast you and Edward were moving, and she was afraid that you would hurt Edward. You're not the kind of girl that he would date, and you could easily manipulate him. Then you guys exchanged the whole _I love yous, _and it kind of cemented what Rose was saying."

"It's none of anyone's business how fast or slow Edward and I are moving. It's our relationship and as long as we're fine with how things are going then that's all that matters. You need to get that through your fucking skull," I told her. "And I'm not manipulating him. I would never do that to Edward."

Taking a deep breath, Alice finally turned to look at me.

"I think you are. I mean look at what you've done to him. He's talking back to Emmett, getting mad at me. For God's sake, he now has a tattoo! You're trying to change him into someone he's not!" she exclaimed, hatred oozing from her. "I don't think you're good enough for him. I don't think you're right for him. He needs someone calm and quiet. Someone who isn't going to try and change who he is."

"Hold on a fucking min—" I began, but was interrupted as she continued.

"Rosalie's sister, Lauren, would be perfect for him. She's a nice, quiet, wholesome girl. She isn't covered in tattoos and piercings. She's normal. They would make a wonderful couple, and I just know that they would be happy together. You need to break things off with Edward so that he can have a chance at having a healthy relationship."

_What. The. Fuck. _It was taking everything I had not to slap her. I clenched my hands at my side and stared hard at her.

"Let me get this straight. You're telling me that you and Rosalie have been spreading lies about me, talking shit about me, and trying to break Edward and I up because you think he'd be better off with Rosalie's sister?"

"He_ will_ be better off with her."

"Well, that's just too fucking bad. You can tell Rosalie and Lauren that it's not gonna happen. Little sister's just going to have go through life without a Cullen attached to her arm. Cause that's what it's about, right? Marrying into a good family with lots of money? It's obvious to me that Rosalie doesn't love Emmett for Emmett, but rather for his last name. How the fuck you could condone something like that is beyond me. Thank God, you're not my sister," I said, my voice filled with disgust.

Alice stood up and gave me a haughty glance.

"Once Edward meets Lauren he'll forget all about you," she said as she stormed over to the door, unlocked it and walked out.

I rolled my eyes at her empty threat. I wasn't worried. Edward and I had a strong relationship.

Later that night as Edward and I ate dinner, I informed of Alice's visit to the shop. He was pissed. Once we were done eating, he went into the living room and pulled out his phone.

"Alice!" he barked into the phone. "We need to have a serious talk."

There was a pause on his end.

"Fine. I don't work tomorrow so you can come over in the morning around ten," he told her before hanging up.

He let out a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his hair. I hated that he was under so much stress, and Alice wasn't helping the situation. We'd spent our evenings discussing and searching varies job possibilities for him, but nothing had really caught his eye. Granted, there wasn't a hell of a whole lot out there. The library in Port Angeles wasn't hiring so that was out. There was a New Age bookstore that was hiring, but Edward had cringed at the thought of working there. He said the lady who owned was a little too hippy for him and smelled of petruli. He mentioned that he was good with computers and the Eclipse website needed an overhaul so I was thinking of talking to Jake and Seth about having Edward work on it while he was looking for something more permanent.

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><p>I woke up Saturday morning snuggled in Edward's arms. I didn't want to leave the warmth of his bed, but it was my Saturday to work. Reluctantly, I started to climb out of bed. A warm arm reached out and dragged me back.<p>

"Where you going?" Edward's husky, sleepy voice asked me.

"I have to get ready for work," I grumbled.

"Nope," his muffled voice said, buried in my hair. "You need to stay here with me."

The arm around my waist tightened, pulling me closer to the warm hard chest behind me. When his lips started nibbling on my neck, I was a goner. There was no way I could refuse him, especially when his hand began to make its way up my chest to cup a breast. Fingers toyed with my nipple and small moans of appreciation escaped me. I let out a disappointed groan as his hand moved away from my breast, but I rejoiced when I felt him pull my leg over his thigh, opening me up to him. Seconds later, I felt a gentle finger rubbing circles around my clit, but not really applying any pressure.

"Edward," I moaned, wanting him to stop his teasing.

"Hmmm?"

"Stop teasing me."

"It's not teasing if I plan on following through," he said seductively in my ear.

His thumb continued to lightly rub against my clit, and I lifted my hips, trying to encourage him to do more. He let out a devilish chuckle that set me on fire. _ He was driving me crazy! _ I wasn't above begging, and in a wanton voice I asked him to fuck me.

"Oh, we'll get to that. Just enjoy what I'm doing now," he said, pressing an open-mouthed kiss on my neck.

He suddenly plunged a finger inside of me, causing me to let out a porn star worthy moan. He sped up his movements, while his thumb continued to circle and rub my clit. My body tightened, and I could feel the oncoming orgasm.

"I'm close," I gasped out.

A second finger joined the first, and he pumped them harder and faster inside of me. My body started to shake, and I felt wave after wave of pleasure assault me.

"Edward!"

As I came back down, I felt him slide his fingers out of me. I moaned at the loss, but was rewarded with the feeling of his cock nestling against me. With a quick thrust, Edward was inside of me. We both let out moans of pleasure at feeling him slide home. Slowly, he thrust in and out of me. I pushed my hips back to meet his thrusts, loving the feel of him buried so deep. Reaching down, he slipped his fingers between our bodies and stroked my clit. I inhaled sharply as he pressed harder, My nipples were hard as diamonds and I reached up and grasped one between my fingers, pinching and pulling on it. Edward let out a low moan when he saw what I was doing. He began to thrust deeper, harder, and faster. His fingers rubbed my clit faster, and I knew that I was about to come. Throwing my head back, I let out a scream as I came. A few minutes later, he followed me, spilling everything he had inside me.

Slowly, he slipped out of me, then rolled over onto his back trying to catch his breath. I followed him, curling up next to him.

"Good morning to me," I said, pressing a kiss over his beating heart.

"Hmmm. Good morning to both of us," was his reply.

Looking over at the clock, I realized that our romp had taken up quite a bit of time. Hurrying, I scrambled out of the bed and into the shower.

I pulled into the parking lot of Eclipse, fifteen minutes later that I would have liked. I was working with Seth for the first part of the day, and I'd be working with the new part-time artist that they'd hired. I hadn't met her yet, but from what they said she was good.

"You're late!" Seth hollered out to me as I walked in the door.

"Yup."

He stood in front of me, arms crossed over his chest. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared right back. I wasn't intimidated by him. All of a sudden a huge grin broke over his face.

"You had morning sex! That's why you're late!"

_Good grief._ I rolled my eyes, but didn't bother to deny it.

"Well, that's a perfectly good reason to be late. It's why Jake and I've been late more than a few times," he said, ruffling my hair before going to set up his work station.

He was such a dork.

The morning past quickly, and I before I knew it, lunch time had rolled around. I hadn't heard from Edward and was a bit worried. I'd known that he had met with Alice at ten, but when I checked my phone, I didn't have any missed messages from him. I headed to the little bistro on the corner to grab a sandwich and gave Edward a call once I had my food.

"Hey, babe. I was just calling to see how things went with Alice. Call me back when you can. I love you," I said as I left him a voicemail.

By the time lunch was over, I still hadn't heard from him, and I was beginning to get worried. It wasn't like Edward not to get back to me. Even if he was busy or couldn't talk, he'd still send me a short text to let me know that he got my message. I wasn't worried that Alice had gotten him to change his mind about me, but I was worried that something had happened to him. However, once I was back at the shop I didn't have time to dwell on it much. After I walked in, Seth introduced me to the new part-time artist.

"Bella this is Jane Volturri. Jane, this is Bella Swan."

Jane Volturri. The name was vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it before. I held my hand out for her to shake, but she looked at it and me as if I wasn't worth her time. She gave me a cold smile and a nod before heading to her station. I turned to look at Seth with a raised eyebrow.

"She's not much of a people person, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"Well, that's just fucking great. It's not like we have to work with people or anything," I muttered.

He held up his hands. "I didn't hire her. Jake did. He says she's got talent."

I let out a sigh. My afternoon wasn't looking up. I checked my phone once more, letting out another sigh when I saw that I hadn't gotten anything back from Edward. Putting my phone in my pocket, I headed to the counter. They'd had a receptionist at one time, but she'd quit so we each took a couple of hours a day playing receptionist. It wasn't the highlight of my day, but it had to be done. Sitting on the stool, I began to draw up some new designs to hang on the wall, all while keeping an eye on Jane. Something about her really bothered me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't just her cold demeanor. There was something else.

At three, I climbed off the stool and went over to Jane. She'd finished up with a customer and was clearing up her station.

"Hey, Jane? Did Seth inform you that you'd be taking over the front for a while tonight?" I asked, attempting to be polite and friendly.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Well, once you're done cleaning up, you can go ahead and head up front," I told her.

The following three hours dragged by. I had a handful of customers to at least keep me occupied. By the time six arrived, I couldn't wait to leave. I kept a close eye on Jane as we closed and locked up. I watched as she drove away before climbing into my truck and heading home.

I pulled into my drive an hour later and noticed that Edward's driveway was empty. I frowned a bit but tried not to get upset. If he wanted to go somewhere he didn't have to check in with me and let me know. I was starting to get a bit annoyed that he hadn't called me back though. Unlocking my door and turning off the alarm, I headed inside. I changed into my pajamas, made some dinner, and ate dinner by myself. I mindless flipped through the channels growing more and more worried that I hadn't heard from Edward.

At around nine, I saw lights through my window as Edward pulled into his drive. A few moments later, there was a knock on my door. Getting up, I opened the door.

"Hey," he said softly.

He looked tired and his eyes were rimmed red, like he'd been crying. I gestured for him to come in and followed him into the living room.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, worry tinting my voice.

He ran his hands through his hair, causing it to stick up everywhere, and let out a sigh.

"Yeah, I guess," he said after sitting down on the couch.

I sat down next to him and took his hands in mine. I didn't want to nag him, but I needed to know why I hadn't heard from him.

"Can I ask why you didn't return my call or messages?"

He pulled a hand away, put it in his pocket, and pulled his phone out.

"I forgot to charge it last night. It died this morning on my way to parents' house so I ended up leaving it in the car."

"Oh. Why were you going to your parents?"

"I figured if I was going to have a talk with Alice, I might as well do it on neutral ground. That and I figured my mom could save me if I needed her to," he said with a snort.

I felt a small smile form on my lips. Sometimes, he was too fucking cute.

"I was really worried when I didn't hear back from you. I was worried that something had happened to you."

His hand reached out and cupped my cheek. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl. I didn't even think about that. I should have called you from my folks to let you know things were fine."

I rested my cheek against his hand before I asked, "How did things go with Alice?"

"She's such a child," he said, pulling his hand from mine and wrapping an arm around me.

I snuggled into him, wrapping my arm loosely around his waist while resting my head on his chest.

"She showed up at ten, and I told her that I wanted to go to Mom and Dad's to hash things out. It was neutral territory, and she agreed. After we got there, I asked her what was going on. She started in on some crap about how you were bad for me. I guess she saw my tattoo at work and freaked out. She went on about dating Rosalie's sister," he said with a shudder.

"Anyway, I told her that was never going to happen. That you were it for me. I'm going to marry you someday. Needless to say, Alice isn't happy with me. Or you. Or Mom and Dad."

My mind was still focused on the whole _I'm going to marry you someday_ line.

"Wait. What? Why's she mad at your parents?"

"Mom came into the room while we were yelling at each other and demanded to know what was going on. So I told her how Alice was interfering in my life and whatnot. Alice decided to retaliate my telling Mom about my tattoo. Which, by the way, Mom thinks looks really good."

I snorted. "Guess that didn't go over well with Alice."

"Not really. She was furious that Mom and Dad weren't upset. Mom told her it was my body, I could do what I wanted with it, and that she'd better not hear Alice talking bad about you."

I felt a sense of love wash over me. It warmed me to know that his parents, particularly his mom, liked me. Edward told me that his parents expected us to be there for brunch, and I wasn't about to argue. I lived for Esme's cooking.

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><p>Sunday morning, we got up and headed to his parents' house for brunch. I had a feeling it was going to be interesting to say the least. I was wrapped up in Esme's warm hug within minutes of walking in the door.<p>

"I'm so glad you came. I was afraid that you wouldn't want to come."

"And miss out on your cooking? Not a chance, Esme!"

She laughed and led me into the living room. Carlisle and Emmett took turns giving me hugs before I sat down next to Edward. Rosalie and Alice were standing in the corner, each shooting me a glare. I rolled my eyes at their behavior.

"Ignore them," Edward told me.

"Not a problem."

As we sat down to eat brunch, I noticed there was a bit of hostility between Emmett and Rosalie.

"Did you have a good time Phoenix, Edward?" Carlisle asked in an attempt to break the tension at the table.

Edward smiled his beautiful smile.

"We did. Bella showed me around, and we went to some amazing places."

"And got a tattoo. Can't forget that," Alice snarled from across the table.

"Oh, yes. Your mother mentioned that. Can I see it?" Carlisle asked.

Edward rolled up the cuff of his shirt and showed his dad. Every time I saw it, I felt tingles erupt over my skin. It was so fucking hot. I hoped for his next tat, he'd let me ink him.

"That's a great quote. _Life on the Mississippi_, right?"

"Yeah. It seemed fitting," Edward told his dad.

"I like it. It looks good on you. Much better than the one I have," Carlisle said as his face turned bright red. "Shit. Should've kept my mouth shut," he mumbled while Esme cracked up.

Around the table, mouths dropped open in shock._ The hot doctor had a tat?_

"What do you have? And where?" I asked.

Carlisle gave me a sheepish grin. "Now, remember I was young and stupid when I got mine. Some college buddies and I had been drinking and playing pool. We were low on cash so we made a bet that the loser had to get a tattoo that the winner would pick out. Long story short. I lost."

"And?" I asked. I had to know more. "What did you get?"

"A bumble bee," he said with a sigh.

I held in a snicker. "Where is it? Can we see it?"

"No, you can't see it!" he exclaimed, red in the face.

I thought Esme was going to fall out of her chair she was laughing so hard.

"It's on his right butt cheek," she blurted out.

That was it. We lost it. Laughter broke out around the table. _Poor Carlisle_. I felt bad for him, but it was too funny. I'd inked my share of strange, stupid, and embarrassing tattoos, and the stories that accompanied them were usually hilarious.

"Don't feel bad, Carlisle. I've heard some of the strangest stories and inked some weird tattoos," I told him.

"But have you ever tattooed a bumble bee on a guy's ass?" Emmett asked me.

"No, but I did tattoo Tweety Bird on some guy's ass once," I said, shuddering as I recalled it.

When brunch was over, Edward and I cleaned up before having a mini make-out session in the kitchen. Edward had sat me on the counter, his arms caging me in, as I tangled my hands in his hair. His warm lips were pressed against mine, his tongue stroking and licking. We were so caught up in our kiss that we failed to notice that we were no longer alone in the kitchen.

"Oh, aren't they the cutest?" I heard Esme whisper.

Edward and I broke apart. His face was red, and he buried it in my hair as we heard Carlisle chuckle. I was sure my face was red as well.

"Sorry, kids. We wanted to talk to the two of you for a moment," Esme said before she and Carlisle left the kitchen.

Edward helped me down from the counter, and holding hands, we went into the living room. We sat down on the couch opposite of Esme and Carlisle. I felt like a kid who was in trouble, but didn't know what I'd done wrong. Esme must have seen the worry and confusion on my face because she was quick to reassure me that nothing was wrong.

"We just wanted to let you know how much we love you," Esme said.

That hadn't been was I expecting at all. I felt tears well up in my eyes, but I blinked them back.

"We're so glad that you came into Edward's life. He's always been a great person, but since you've come along, our dear boy has flourished."

I didn't know what to say. I had no words for how much their words meant to me. Esme came over and sat down beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"I can't even begin to apologize for Alice's behavior. Nor should I have too. She's a grown up, despite the fact that she isn't acting like one. I know that Rosalie has a hand in Alice's behavior as of late, and I'll be having a talk with her as well. I know that she and Emmett have been having some issues, and I don't want to contribute to that, but he needs to know what his wife has been up to."

"We just wanted to let you know how much you mean to us. We already think of you as one of our own, and that's not going to change," Carlisle said.

We talked for a little while longer before we were interrupted by Emmett. He knelt down in front of me and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Esme and Carlisle leave the room. I looked down at Emmett, and he looked so sad.

"What's wrong, Emmett?" I asked.

"I feel horrible that Rosie's treated you like such crap. And I'm sorry that I've been a horrible big brother," he said, turning to Edward.

Edward shook his head. "You haven't been a horrible big brother. You just tend to get carried away when it comes to picking on me. But I guess as my big brother, that's what you're supposed to do."

Emmett gave a little shrug. "I'll try and tone it down. But I can't promise anything," he said with a little grin. The grin faded as he turned to me. "No matter what Rosie says, I think you're wonderful for Edward. You're completely awesome, and there's nobody better that I'd want for a sister."

After talking to Emmett, we got up to leave. I wanted to spend some alone time with my boy. We told Esme and Carlisle we were leaving, and Esme pulled me into a hug.

"One of these days, my boy's going to ask you to marry him. I hope you'll say yes," Esme whispered in my ear.

I felt a blush rise on my cheeks. I knew when the time came, I'd say yes without any hesitation.

"Of course I will," I told her.

When we got into Edward's car, he asked me what I'd meant when I told his mother I would. I gave him a grin and told him, "She said that she hoped I'd say yes when you asked me to marry you. I told her of course I would."

The look of delight on his face was priceless, and a silly grin broke out.

"Yeah? You're gonna marry me?" he asked.

"Someday," I told him.

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><p>an: Alrighty folks. You know the drill. Leave me some love, some hate, chocolate perhaps? I live for your reviews, so let me know what you thought! I'm going to try and get back to my Saturday posting schedule so I probably won't post again until next Saturday. Then again, it depends on how much writing I get done this week.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I is not the owner of Twilight.

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and for those who reviewed. I can't tell you enough how excited I get when I see a review waiting for me. I wrote a majority of this chapter at work, so I've had to go back and tweak some of it. That and I had to add in a lemon. I felt awkward attempting to write one of those at work, despite the fact that I work third shift with only two other people who sit nowhere near me. I hope that everyone had a good week and stayed warm if you live some place cold. From now on I will be updating every Saturday. Granted, I might update in the wee hours of the morning when I'm awake or late in the evenings.

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><p><strong>Design for Life<strong>

**"Books to the ceiling,  
>Books to the sky,<br>My pile of books is a mile high.  
>How I love them! How I need them!<br>I'll have a long beard by the time I read them."**

**~Arnold Lobel**

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><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

Saturday morning after Bella left for work, I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep so I trudged downstairs, got some cereal, and ate my breakfast while watching Spongebob. I loved that show. It was something Emmett and I actually had in common. By the time nine-thirty rolled around, I figured I'd better shower and get dressed. While I was in the shower, I began to thinking that perhaps the best place to talk to Alice would be at our parents' house. It was neutral territory for us, and if things go out of hand, Mom and Dad would be there to help calm things down.

By the time I got dressed, Alice was ringing my doorbell. I opened the door, and she gave me a glare. _Great_. I held up a hand before she could say anything.

"I know you want to talk, and we will. But I'd rather talk at Mom and Dad's."

"Why?" she asked, her voice filled with hostility.

"It's neutral ground."

We each drove our own cars, and I wasn't looking forward to this talk at all, but I knew it was a long time coming. Mom and Dad were thrilled to see both of us, but knew something was wrong. I explained that Alice and I needed to have a serious talk, so they left us alone. I sat down on the couch and waited for Alice to take a seat. She sat down with a huff and continued to glare at me.

"Would you care to explain to me why you felt the need to verbally attack Bella?"

"Excuse me? I didn't verbally attack her! Is that what she said? What a liar!"

"Cut the crap, Alice."

"Fine. I went to see her. I just wanted to talk to her. That was all. It's not my fault that she blew things out of proportion."

"Why did you want to talk to her?"

She looked at me as if I was an idiot.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice the tattoo on your wrist? It's not like you to do that. Hell, not too long ago you were freaking out because Jasper and I got tattoos. She's changed you," she spat out.

"She has changed me. For the better. Thanks to Bella, I've become more confident in who I am. For the first time in a long time, I like who I am. Why can't you just be happy for me?"

"Because I'm worried. Bella's no good for you. You need someone less loud. Less freakish. Lauren would be perfect for you," she said, completely ignoring everything I'd just said.

"Lauren? Who the heck is that?"

I seriously had no idea who she was talking about, but if she thought for one minute that I would leave Bella, she was crazy.

Alice rolled her eyes before answering me. "Rosalie's younger sister. You've met her more than once. She came down for Labor Day Weekend."

_Ewww._ I remembered Lauren now. She had stringy blond hair, a nasally voice, and dressed like, well, a whore. Why in the world Alice thought that girl would be perfect for me was unfathomable.

"Ugh," I said, scrunching up my face and shuddering at the thought of being with that girl.

Clearly, that was not the answer the response Alice had been hoping for.

"You just need to give Lauren a chance. You'll really like her. I promise."

"No, Alice. Not happening."

"Just give her a chance," she pleaded.

"I said no, Alice!"

My voice was starting to rise, and I was getting really upset with her.

"Listen, just go on one date with her and see," she pleaded.

"No!" I roared at her.

"But Edward," she whined.

"Jesus Christ, Alice! Stop. Just fucking stop!"

Her mouth fell open at my use of the f-word. I knew that my face was red, and I sure that if I could breathe fire or shoot lasers out of my eyes, I would have been. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but I wasn't about to fall for it. At that moment, Mom rushed into the room.

"What in the world is going on in here?" she demanded to know.

"Edward's being mean," Alice sniffled.

I rolled my eyes. I was so freaking tired of her and her childish attitude. Mom turned to look at me, hands on her hips, eyebrow raised.

"Alice has decided that Bella isn't good enough for me. She's demanding that I go out with Rosalie's sister, Laura."

"Her name is Lauren. And she's a perfectly nice person."

"Why on earth would you think that Bella isn't good enough for Edward? She's wonderful!" Mom said, looking confused.

Alice looked stunned. "What do you mean she's wonderful? Look what she's done to Edward? She's got him talking back to Emmett, being mean to me, and she even got him to get a tattoo!"

At the mention of my tattoo, Mom turned her attention back to me.

"Well? Aren't you going to show me?"

I rolled up the cuff of my shirt and showed her. Gently, Mom traced the words imprinted on my skin. She gave me a soft smile as she told me how nice it looked.

Alice threw her hands up in the air. "I don't fucking believe this!"

"Language, young lady," Mom scolded. "Now, Alice. I don't know what your problem is with Bella, but I suspect it has something to do with Rosalie. I'm letting you know right now, that I will not tolerate any rudeness to Bella. She's like another daughter to me, and you will treat her with respect. Is that understood?"

Alice crossed her arms over her chest and refused to answer.

"Edward? I need a moment to speak to your sister alone."

I nodded and left the room, wishing I could be a fly on the wall. I would love to hear what Mom was saying, but I headed into the kitchen where I found Dad sneaking a piece of cake.

"Does Mom know you're eating that?" I asked from the entryway, startling him.

"Shh. Are you trying to get me in trouble?" he asked in a whisper.

I held up my hands. "Not at all, old man. Eat away."

He let out a snort before shoving fork fulls of cake into his mouth.

"What brings you over here today? And where's that gorgeous girl of yours?" he asked between bites.

"Bella's at work, and I needed to have a talk with Alice," I told him.

"What? You couldn't talk with Alice at your own house?"

"Sure, I could have. But this is neutral ground. Plus, you know how mean she can get. I might have needed assistance from one of you."

"So, where's your sister now?" he asked..

"Probably getting yelled at by Mom."

"Better her than me," he said, causing me to snicker. "What did Alice do?"

"She's decided that I should date Rosalie's sister. Apparently, Alice has a problem with Bella. Which is funny because in the beginning she loved Bella. Now she can't stand her."

Quickly washing his plate and cleaning up the crumbs of his crime, he said, "Obviously, Rosalie has something to do with that. I'm still not sure what Emmett sees in that girl."

"She's got a large chest," I said without thinking.

Dad burst out laughing. "Poor boy is paying for marrying a girl for her looks."

I was about to say more when Mom came into the kitchen. Alice was nowhere to be seen, but I heard a door slam and a car start.

"I take it your talk went well," Dad said.

"Hmph. She has some growing up to do. I don't think she's ready to be getting married just yet," she said sitting down at the table.

"Carlisle!"

"Yes, dear?" Dad asked, an innocent look on his face.

Mom wasn't fooled. "Have you been eating cake?"

"What? No. Of course not."

She narrowed her eyes at him. I couldn't wait to see how he got out of this.

"Really? Because there are cake crumbs on the floor."

"It was Edward!" Dad yelled, pointing at me.

My jaw dropped open. I couldn't' believe it. My own father was trying to blame me for his crimes.

"I'm completely innocent, Mom. I wouldn't lie to you."

It was true. Mainly because I was a crappy liar, much to my siblings disappointment. My face would get all red, and I'd stumble over my words trying to get the lie out. Mom knew it, too. She turned to Dad, and he wilted under her glare. Deciding I didn't want to watch them hash it out and then make out, I grabbed my laptop that I'd brought with me and headed to the solarium.

I spent the remainder of my afternoon searching for jobs online. I still wasn't having any luck. If worse came to worse, I'd apply at the New Age bookstore, but I really hoped it wouldn't come to that. Forks pretty much had nothing available, so I was focusing most of my search in Port Angeles. Closing my browser, I opened up a folder on my hard drive that contained my novel. Yes, like every other English major out there, I was attempting to write the Next Great American Novel. I had three hundred and twenty-six pages of crap. Might as well start writing and see if I couldn't make it three hundred and twenty-seven pages of crap.

Time always flew by when I was writing. I tended to get so caught up in the story and my characters, that I failed to pay attention to the time. I vaguely remembered someone bringing me some dinner to eat, but I was completely absorbed in my writing.

"Edward? It's almost nine. Did you want to be heading home?" Mom asked from the doorway.

I jerked my head up, unable to believe that that much time had gone by. I needed to get home to my Bella. After I gathered all of my stuff, I said goodbye to my parents and headed out to my Volvo. I was bit surprised to see Alice standing near it, obviously waiting for me. I didn't want to hash it out with her anymore. I just wanted to go home. So I ignored her, climbing into my car. Before I could shut my door, she grabbed it.

"All I'm trying to do is help you, but you're so blind and stupid. You've gone and fallen in _love_ with the first girl you slept with. It's pathetic. She's going to destroy when she leaves you. And she will leave," she said in a hateful voice.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as she continued to insult me, so I grabbed the door handle and slammed it shut. She barely got her fingers out of the way. I sped down the drive, but not before I heard her yell that she hated me. I knew that she didn't mean it, but the words hurt nonetheless.

I pulled into my drive and noticed a light on at Bella's. I knew that she was probably going to be angry with me. It wasn't until I got in the car to head home, that I realized that I'd left my phone in it because it was dead. I knocked softly on her door and was greeted by a slightly angry Bella. She gestured me in, and I took a seat on her horribly bright purple couch. She sat next to me and asked me why I hadn't returned her calls or texts. I explained that my phone had died, and I'd left in the car. She told me how worried she was because she hadn't heard from me, and I felt like a complete jerk. After I apologized, I told her all about my talk with Alice and how well it didn't go.

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><p>Sunday night, I was sitting at my desk working on my novel. I'd been bitten by the writing bug and knew if I didn't get it written while the ideas were fresh, I'd forget what I wanted to write. Bella had been downstairs curled up on the couch immersed in some tattoo magazine that she got every month. I wasn't sure how long I'd been lost in my own world, but I was startled out of it when Bella came into my study.<p>

"Whatcha' doing?" she asked, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and resting her chin on the top of my head.

Panic raced through me. I was terrified of someone reading my novel. Which I guess kind of defeated the whole purpose. I tried to save it and close it as quickly as possible, but her hand came to rest on mine.

"Edward?" she asked.

"Itsmynovel," I mumbled.

"You're writing a novel? That's so fucking cool! What's it about?" she asked.

That wasn't the reaction I had been expecting. I'd expected her to scoff and laugh at me. I should have known better. Pushing the chair away from the desk, I pulled her down onto my lap.

"It's-ugh. It's about three guys who are attempting to unleash a horrible evil upon the world."

"Why?"

"Well, the one guy is doing it because he just doesn't care anymore. He's sick of life. The second guy is doing it because he sees it as a grand adventure; a quest. The third guy is doing it because he was threatened into it."

"Who threatened him to do it?"

"The leader of the Church of Thirteen Moons," I told her.

She sat on my lap looking confused. Letting out a sigh, I realized it would be easier to let her read it than to explain it. Gently removing Bella from my lap, I stood up, gestured for her to sit, and scooted the chair close to the desk.

"You can read it. It'll be easier to understand," I told her with a shaking voice.

She shook her head.

"I'm not going to read it if you don't want me to," she said, turning to face me.

"It's okay. Really. Maybe you can help me with it? Give me some feedback."

Reaching out, she grasped my trembling hands.

"Why are you so nervous?"

"It's scary to think of someone reading something I wrote. I'm not very confident in my writing abilities," I told her honestly.

"I'm sure it's wonderful, but if it sucks, I'll let you know. I'm nothing if not honest. You know that."

I did know that. I knew that if it completely sucked, she'd tell me. Leaving her to it, I headed downstairs to putter around. I plopped down on my couch and started flipping through the channels, but nothing held my attention. All I could think about was the beautiful woman upstairs reading my novel. An hour later, she still hadn't come downstairs, and I was beginning to become a nervous wreck. Slowly, I made my way upstairs and crept into my study.

"So, uh … how bad is it?" I asked, afraid to find out the answer.

She held up a finger indicating that I should wait a moment. When she was done reading, she turned to face me.

"It's great. I really, really like it, and I'm not just saying that. There's a lot going on, but it's funny, scary, morbid. It has so many wonderful elements to it. There seems to be a few plot holes at the moment, but I'm sure you can fix those easily."

"So, you like it?"

"Yes. Very much so. When you finish it, you should try and get it published or even self publish," she told me.

I gave a shrug. Publishing meant people would read it.

* * *

><p>Monday was a slow and quiet day at the library. Both Angela and Mrs. Cope were out sick, leaving Jasper and myself to man the library. I hadn't seen him since Friday and things were a bit tense between us. He plopped down in the chair next to mine and glowered at me.<p>

"What?" I finally asked, tossing my pen down on the counter.

"I think you know what," he growled.

I could only assume that Alice had told him we'd had a fight. And knowing her, she'd made herself out to be the helpless victim.

"I take it you're referring to the fight Alice and I had?"

"Obviously."

"Well, I'm sure she spun it so that she was the victim in the whole thing. Never mind the fact that she went to Bella's work and verbally attacked her. Your fiancée has gotten it in her head that I should breakup with Bella and start dating Rosalie's sister," I told him.

Judging from the look on his face, Alice had obviously left out that part of the story. I explained everything to him, and when I was done he was pissed. Not at me, but at Alice.

"What the fuck is she thinking? Lauren isn't just a bitch, she's a slut as well," he said, shaking his head before mumbling that he'd be having a talk with my sister.

The rest of the day dragged on, and I was so freaking glad when it ended. I hit up the grocery store on the way home since it was my night to cook dinner. Bella had been teaching me to cook and while I wasn't great at it, I was learning. I pulled into the drive, grabbed my groceries, and went about getting dinner ready.

An hour later, Bella walked into my house, and she was pissed. She threw her coat over the back of the couch, tossed her shoes in the corner, and stomped into the kitchen. She threw herself into a chair with a huff. I knew better than to say anything. She'd let me know what was wrong.

"I cannot believe that fucking bitch!" were the first words she uttered. I wasn't sure who she was talking about, but she continued before I could ask her.

"She thinks that because she worked at some fancy tattoo shop in Vegas that she's all that. Strutting around Eclipse like she owns the place. Stupid bitch has another coming if she thinks that she can talk to me like that," she ranted.

Afraid to interrupt her, I placed her dinner in front of her and poured her glass of water. She shoveled her food into her mouth as I sat across from her. It was a bit like watching Emmett eat.

"Slow down, love. I don't want you to choke," I warned.

She slowed down, and we finished eating in silence. As soon as dinner was done, she picked right back up were she'd left off.

"She sat there and basically told me that my work was amateur. Like hell it is! I'm a pretty fucking great artist. Who the fuck does she think she is talking shit about me and my work? Of course, she doesn't say anything when Jake or Seth are around. But the minute they leave, she's there making some snide remarks."

"Sounds like she's jealous of you," I told her.

Bella gave a shrug. "Maybe. There's something about her that puts me on edge. I don't trust her. She's always giving me these looks, like she knows something about me. I think she's been going through my stuff."

"Why do you think that?" I asked, concerned because Bella was really upset.

"I don't have any proof, but my some of my stuff seemed like it had been moved around. I'll definitely be keeping a closer eye on her. Jake might trust her, but I don't. She's up to something, and yes, I realized that I sound completely paranoid."

"Talk to Jake and Seth. Tell them your concerns. I'm sure they'd be more than glad to keep an eye on her or your stuff," I suggested.

She agreed that it was a good idea. I hated seeing her so upset, so I ran upstairs and started a bath for her. She looked like she could use some relaxation time. When the bath was ready, I went down and got her. Her eyes welled up a bit, and she turned and gave me a fierce kiss before thanking me for being so sweet.

While she was in her bath, I climbed into bed and began reading a book that I'd been struggling to get through. My mind was really focused on it, though. I was more focused on the fact that my girlfriend was naked in the tub a few feet from where I lay. Part of me wanted to go join her, but another part of me knew that she needed the time to relax and wind down. Twenty minutes later, I was joined in bed by a gorgeous, naked woman. She straddled my lap and tugged my book from my hands.

"Thanks, baby. I needed that," she said, pressing a kiss to my lips.

"Anything for you, love. You know that," I told her, deepening the kiss.

I broke my lips from hers and asked her to lay down on her stomach. I had a bottle of massage oil on the side table which I grabbed. I poured a small amount in my hands before rubbing them together to warm them up. I was no masseuse, but I figured she'd enjoy the massage. I straddled her lower back and pushed her hair out of the way before I began kneading her muscles. Her shoulders and upper back were tight with tension, and I did my best to loosen the knots that I felt. Below me, Bella let out a low moan that made me spring to attention. I mentally berated myself. The massage was about Bella, not me.

By the time I'd worked my way down to her lower back, she was writhing and letting out little moans. I was unbelievably turned on, and I knew she could tell. When she moaned my name and told me she needed me, I climbed off of her and rolled her over.

Her lips found mine instantly. Her tongue flicked mine gently before tracing the curve of my lips. Her kisses were amazing, and I could never get enough of them.

"Please," she whispered, pulling away from my lips.

Like I could say no to her. I hovered over her, drinking in her beautiful form. She was stunning and took my breath away every time I looked at her. I bit down and slowly ran my tongue across the swell of one breast. She let out another moan, and I couldn't contain the smug smile that crossed my face. I made my girl want me. With one hand, I cupped her breast, rubbing the pad of my thumb over one of her nipples before flicking my tongue over the turgid peak. I soon turned my attention to her other breast, not wanting it to be left out. Underneath me, Bella was gasping and pleading for more. Who was I to say no?

I began kissing my way down her stomach, making her squirm when my tongue dipped into her belly button. I ran my hands down her sides, until I gripped her thighs and pulled them apart.

"You're so lovely," I said, gazing at her.

A light blush rushed over her skin, enchanting me even more.

Slowly, I dragged a finger through her wetness, feeling a sense of pride come over me that I had done that to her. I slid a finger into her and felt her muscles clench around it. As I thrust it gently in and out of her, her hips began to thrust in time with me. My thumb slid over her clitoris, swirling around it, and Bella's back arched. Her eyes closed, her mouth fell open, and she cried out my name. It was so freaking hot.

Slowly, her body relaxed back onto the bed, and she opened her eyes.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"Get up here," she murmured.

"I'm not done," I told her while pressing light, feathery kisses across the tops of her thighs.

I spread her legs a bit wider before swiping my tongue over her center. I gently traced light circles around her nub, causing her to wiggle and fist her hands in my hair. I gave her nub a gentle nibble, then slid my tongue down and into her. I began to thrust it in and out of her and felt her clench down on me as her fingers gripped my hair tighter.

"Edward! Oh God, oh God!" she screamed, coming for me once more.

After she came down from her second orgasm, I crawled up her body, pressing kisses along the way, until my lips found hers. Growling, she rolled us over so that she was straddling me. I couldn't resist giving her gorgeous breasts little love bites.

"Uh uh. It's my turn now," she told me.

She reached down and stroked me through my boxers, causing my hips to buck into her hand.

"These have to go," she said, tugging on the waistband.

I lifted my hips to help her and soon I was relieved of my boxers. Her small hand began a leisurely pace, stroking me up and down. I knew that if she didn't stop, things were going to be over before they began.

Realizing how close I was, she removed her hand from me, and pressed kisses against my chest. Moments later, I felt her place the tip of me at her entrance. We both let out moans of pleasure as she sank onto me. She braced her hands on my chest as she began riding me. It was hot, sexy, and hard. She threw her head back, hands gripping her breasts, as she rode me to completion. Holy heck that was hot! But she wasn't through with me. When it was my turn to come, I yelled her name, loving the way she made me feel.

"Hmm. I love you," she murmured afterward, her head on my chest.

"Love you too, sweet girl."

The next day, I was sitting at work texting Bella when Mark walked in. Immediately, I was on alert. He walked over to me and gave me a small smile. He looked tired and worn out.

"Hey, Edward."

"Hi, Mark. Uh ... what brings you here today?" I asked because I had to know.

He ran a hand over his hair and then his face.

"I need to talk to you and Bella as soon as possible."

My gut churned. That didn't sound good at all.

"Okay. She doesn't give off work until six. How about you come over to my house around seven-thirty?"

He gave me a nod and left. I quickly texted Bella.

_Mark was just here. He wants to talk to us tonight._

_abt what?_ she texted.

_No idea. He looked tired though. And worried._

_laurent?_

_Maybe. I told him to come over around 7. That okay?_ I asked.

_that's fine._

_So how is your day going? Jane still giving you problems?_

_ugh. yes. she's such a spiteful person. i talked to seth like you suggested. ill tell you abt it tonight_

We texted for a few more minutes, until Jasper came back from lunch. He must have noticed that I was a bit distressed.

"What's wrong? Did Alice do something? Because she and I had a nice little chat the other night. Granted, it didn't go well, and she's not speaking to me at the moment."

I shook my head. "No. Mark stopped by. He wants to talk to Bella and myself, but didn't say what it was about."

"Oh, man. That doesn't sound good. I'd almost forgotten all about that shit."

"Yeah, me too. Mainly because it seemed that after Laurent was killed the threat to Bella went away."

Bella and I were a nervous wreck as we sat on the couch at my house waiting for Mark to show up. At seven-thirty on the dot, the doorbell rang. I went and opened it and found a very haggard looking Mark standing there. I gestured him inside, while Bella offered him something to drink. He shook his head no as he took a seat in the recliner.

"Are you okay, Mark?" Bella asked.

He let out a weary sigh.

"Not really. I'm exhausted and this case has us running in circles."

"So, you haven't learned anything new?" I asked.

He hesitated for just a moment. "I wouldn't say that. We've learned some things about him, that are very worrisome. I need to ask you some questions about him Bella, and they aren't going to be pretty."

Bella clasped my hand tightly as she nodded at Mark.

He took a folder out of his briefcase and grabbed a pen and notepad. "Okay, let's begin."

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><p>an: I know. Why did I have to leave it there? Because. As always, I appreciate every bit of love or hate you send my way. I prefer love to hate, but you know, I'll take either one.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, it wasn't mine. Don't think that's changed.

A/N: I never intended for my story to have so much drama. Lol. I was going to write a nice little love story with a wee bit of drama (about this much *holding my thumb and index finger a millimeter apart*). Apparently, I can't do it. I just can't right a love-fest. *sighs* I blame all the crime shows and reality TV that I watch. Oh, well. What's life without a bit of drama?

I'd also like to thank a reader for pointing out an error that I completely overlooked. Way back in Chapter 4 (if you remember that far back) I had said Rosalie and Jasper were twins. They're not. In my original plot they were, and I'd totally forgotten that was even in there. So for the record, Rosalie and Jasper are not related. So, a big thanks to the reader who pointed that out to me. It's been corrected. As always, a huge thanks to all of you out there. My readers, reviewers, and lurkers. Alright gang, let's found out what Mark has to say.

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"Tattoo the pristine flesh  
>What is permanent anyway?<br>This ink only lasts 'til the grave,  
>Skin and ideas decompose<br>That which we did compose."**

**~Corri Alius**

* * *

><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

I was a nervous wreck by the time that Mark rang the doorbell. I'd had a shitty ass day dealing with Jane and her bullshit. I'd talked to Seth about her, and he told me that he'd talk to her. Jake, on the other hand, seemed to really like her. I just had a niggling suspicion that she was up to no good.

Edward got up to open and the door and tension filled the room when Mark stepped in. I offered him something to drink but he shook his head and took a seat on the recliner. Edward sat down next to me, and immediately I grasped his hand. Mark pulled out a file and a notebook, telling me that he had to ask me some questions. I couldn't imagine what help I would be, but agreed. I'd pretty much told Mark everything I had known.

"We've learned that Laurent was heavily into drugs. Were you aware of his drug problem?"

I shook my head. "I never knew him to do drugs, with the exception of weed once in a while. It wasn't until he turned up here after New York that I suspected he was on drugs."

Mark gave a nod as he wrote down what I had said.

"According to the M.E., Laurent had been using for quite some time. He had scars between his toes that indicated he'd been shooting up for years."

I was shocked. Truly shocked.

"So, what you're saying is that Laurent was using the whole time we were together?"

"Maybe not the whole time, but it looks like he'd been using for at least two years, and running drugs for just as long."

I was flabbergasted. "I—I had no idea. I didn't. I swear."

Mark gave me a reassuring smile. "I know, Bella. The problem it seems, is that Laurent owes money to some very dangerous people."

My thoughts were running wild. _Did he owe money to the mob? Was his murder a hit? How __much money did he owe?_ Gathering my thoughts, I started throwing questions at Mark left and right.

"Bella! Take a deep breath. I'll address all your questions in a minute. First off, I need to know if anyone has come around asking questions about Laurent or if you've seen anyone around town who seems out of place?"

Edward and I looked at each other. No one came to mind.

"The only one asking questions about Laurent is you, and I haven't seen anyone around that seems out of place. Did you ask Rosalie? I still can't figure out her involvement in all of this," I asked.

"We've cleared Ms. Hale of being a suspect. She has nothing to do with Laurent's murder," he told us.

I opened my mouth to say something, but he stopped me.

"Bella. I assure you, she has nothing to do with this. She met Laurent through her sister, Lauren. From what I learned, Rosalie decided that if you got back together with Laurent then Edward would be free to date her sister. That is the extent of her involvement in this case."

Edward and I shared looks of disbelief. Rosalie had been planning for Edward to date her sister since the beginning.

"That is so fucked up!" I spat out. "How did her sister meet Laurent?"

"She met him at First Beach. I don't know much more than that, but neither one of them are suspects," he told us before continuing. "However, we do have a few suspects. The first is a man by the name of Alec Caius. He's a drug dealer out of New York City that Laurent managed to piss off. Apparently, Laurent was supposed to run some drugs for him and took off with the goods. He also owes money to a guy named Felix Demitri. Demitri is a small time drug dealer, but Laurent got in deep with him."

"How much money?" Edward asked.

"A little under a hundred grand."

My mouth fell open. _Holy fuck!_

"Where the hell was Laurent going to get that kind of money?" I asked.

Mark rubbed a hand over his face. "We figure that's where the stolen drugs come in. We think that Laurent stole drugs from Caius and was going to sell them or trade them to Demitri to pay off his debt. We assume that Laurent realized too late that Caius knew he took the drugs, so he left New York and headed here. He needed some place to lay low for a while and if he went back to Phoenix it would be obvious."

"That's why he showed up acting like we'd never broken up," I theorized.

"Most likely," Mark said.

"But they most have found him since he was murdered, right?"

Mark shook his head. "We don't know. Caius crew is under surveillance, and they say he's still bitching about his missing drugs. We didn't find any drugs with or on Laurent, so we can only assume that he either hid them or they were taken by whomever killed him."

_Jesus! _

Mark wasn't done. "I've been in contact with the New York police, and it seems that both Demitri and Caius have left the city. Chances are, they're heading toward Phoenix since that's where Laurent used to live. If they get wind that you live here, they might try and pay you a visit. I want the two of you to be on high alert. I want you to call me if immediately if you see anyone suspicious," he said in a stern voice before handing us two pictures.

The men in the pictures creeped me out, and that was saying something because I'd seen all kinds of freaky people. Alec Caius had blond hair, cold blue eyes, and a hardened face. Felix Demitri looked strung out, which he probably was. He had dark hair and eyes that had a wild look to them. Mark told us to keep the pictures and to let our friends and families know as well. I knew that I'd be taken a copy of the pictures into work and posting them in the back.

I prayed that these men wouldn't come to Forks, or if they had, that they'd left and wouldn't come back. I hated to think that people were in danger because of me; well not me directly, but because of someone from my past.

* * *

><p>The next morning I walked into Eclipse with the two photos in my hand. I'd arrived a little early because I wanted to talk to Jake and Seth without Jane around. I found the guys in the back room in make-out mode. I cleared my throat, amused when they sprung apart like they'd been caught doing the nasty. Although, judging by the way they were breathing and the fact that they both seemed to be adjusting themselves, they might have been about to get their groove on.<p>

"Uh ... what brings you in early?" Jake asked, his voice a bit rough.

I did my best to hide my smirk. "I had something I needed to talk to the two of you about," I said, my tone becoming serious.

"Of course. What's up?" Jake asked.

I handed over the two photos as I explained everything Mark had told me. The boys were shocked and furious that Laurent may have dragged me into that whether he intended to or not.

"I wanted to put the photos up back here, just so we have a reminder of what those two look like," I said.

They agreed, and Seth tacked the pictures on the bulletin board in the back. He stood back and stared at the pictures with a strange look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked, coming up behind Seth and wrapping his arms around him.

"This guy," he said, pointing at the picture of Alec, "seems vaguely familiar. I know I haven't seen him before, but something about him seems familiar."

Jake stared hard at the photo, cocking his head to the side. "You're right. There is something about him that's familiar, but I can't lay my finger on it."

Chills erupted over my skin. It scared me to think that perhaps they had seen Alec around.

At around nine, Jane showed up and came into the back to store her crap. She saw the photos on the board and did a double take. She took a closer look, and I swore I saw a glimpse of recognition in her eyes. Jake took her to the side and explained the situation to her. I knew that if I was the one to tell her, she'd have some kind of snarky remark to make, and then I'd end up beating her ass and getting arrested for assault and battery.

I left the room to go set up my station and wasn't surprised when she stalked out with a bitchy attitude. She shot me a nasty look as she got her shit set up, mumbling under her breath every few seconds.

"If you have something to say, just fucking say it!" I scowled at her, having enough of her bullshit.

"You're a real piece of work, Swan," she spat out.

"Excuse me? I'm a piece of work? Have you looked in the mirror lately? From the minute you set foot in this place you've given me nothing but attitude. Why don't you grow up?"

"I'm not the one who dated a loser who stole drugs and got murdered. Did you whore yourself out to help pay for you dead boyfriend's habit? Does your pathetic little boyfriend know that you dated a druggie?"

_She did not just call Edward pathetic! _

"Excuse me," I said, my voice deadly.

"You heard me. Does your pathetic, geeky little boyfriend know that you like to date druggies?"

All I saw was red. My hand balled up and before I knew it, I had punched her in the face. She let out a scream, holding her nose, from which I could see blood leaking. I was furious. _How dare that fucking bitch call my Edward pathetic? _By the time that Jake and Seth ran out to see what was going on, we were both throwing punches. I will proudly admit that I had gotten the bitch good. Her face was a bloody mess. Bitch didn't know how to fight or defend herself.

"Whoa! What the fuck is going on here?" Seth demanded to know as he pulled me off Jane.

"She attacked me! She's crazy!" Jane yelled, struggling against the hold Jake had on her.

"Shut the fuck up before I do even more damage to your face," I spat out, trying to get loose from Seth's iron grip.

"Calm down, Bells," Seth whispered in my ear. "Deep breaths, honey."

"I call it like I see 'em," she sneered.

"Enough!" Jake roared, causing Jane to flinch. "You're coming with me. We need to get you cleaned up."

He dragged Jane to the back, while Seth went and put up the closed sign, before sitting me down on the couch. He sat down across from me on the coffee table and carefully examined my face and then looked at my hand.

"Well, she got a few shots in. Nothing major. You've got a split lip and a small bruise forming on your cheek," he told me.

I gave a shrug. None of it really hurt. Jane, on the other hand, would be feeling the results of my rage for days.

"Bells? What set you off? You've dealt with Rosalie calling Edward names, and you've dealt with Alice's bullshit."

"I don't know," I said with a sigh. "I think it just all came to a head. Doesn't help that I can't stand Jane, but she had no right to call Edward pathetic or to insinuate that I sold myself to pay for Laurent's habit."

Seth's face darkened. "She had no right to say those things. But, Bella. She could file charges against you for assault and battery. You know that. I wouldn't be surprised if she did."

_Fuck._ I dropped my chin to my chest. I had really fucked myself over. Seth was right. She could have me charged and arrested.

"Hey," he said, lifting my chin up so I could meet his gaze. "I don't blame you one bit for wailing on her ass. If I'd heard what she'd said, I might have hit her too. Jake and I will do damage control as best as we can. For now though, I don't think either of you should be in the same room as the other."

I totally agreed. Lord knows I'd finish what I started if I came face to face with her at the moment.

"Do you want to finish out your shift or do you want to head home and cool off?" Seth asked as he stood up.

"Depends on if she's staying."

Jake came out from the back and headed toward us. He handed me two bags of ice. One for my face and one for my hand. Graciously, I took them.

"I've sent Jane home for the day. She's gonna need to ice her face since you did some nice damage to it," he told me as he approached.

"Guess I'll stay then. So, how badly did I fuck her up?" I had to ask.

Jake tried to tame the smirk that was threatening to break free. "Busted lips, busted nose, black eye, and some bruises. Someone taught you well."

I couldn't contain the grin that spread across my lips. "You have Charlie to thank for that. He made sure I knew how to fight."

"Well, thankfully she has decided not to press charges against you. Took a lot less persuasion than I thought it would," Jake said.

I let out a snort. "Probably because she's wanted for something."

Jake shook his head. "Nah, her background check came back clean."

I wasn't convinced. If Jane hated me as much as she seemed to, I didn't understand why she wasn't pressing charges. I decided that once I got home, I'd give Charlie a call and see if he couldn't find something on her. He had friends in high places.

The rest of my day was blissfully quiet and drama free. By the time six rolled around, I was ready to head home and see my Edward. I pulled into my drive an hour later and noticed that his Volvo wasn't there. I checked my phone and saw that I had a missed call. Apparently, I'd turned the ringer down low and forgotten to turn it back up. Seeing that Edward was the one who called, I gave him a quick call back.

"Hey, sweet girl," he answered.

"Hey, babe. Sorry, I didn't call you back earlier. Forgot to turn the ringer back up."

"No problem. I was calling to let you know that I'm out with Emmett and Jasper. They wanted to have a guy's night."

"Should I be expecting a drunk Edward to show up at my doorstep?" I asked, remembering the time he'd gone to the bar with Jasper.

"Uh ... no. Drunk Edward is on lock down. I actually have a feeling we're going to be discussing Rosalie and Alice and they're appalling behavior," he said, sounding resigned.

"I think it's time that you guys did talk about them. I know it's not something you're looking forward to, but it should be done. After that, you may end up drinking though," I warned.

"Very possible. So, how was your day?"

"Not that great. I may have had it out with Jane, but I'll tell you all about it later. Go have fun with the boys," I told him.

"Alright. I'll be home no later than ten. I love you."

A cheesy smile lit up my face as it always did every time I heard him say those words.

"I love you, too."

After hanging up with Edward, I made a quick dinner, then sat down on my couch to give Charlie a call.

"Bells! How are you doing, kiddo?" Charlie's warm voice asked over the phone.

I explained to him what Mark had told me and wasn't surprised that he knew Alec Caius' name. According to Charlie the guy was bad, bad news.

"Don't you or that Edward boy try and play the hero. If Caius shows up, you get away and call the police. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I also have an issue with a co-worker," I told him before going on to explain the whole Jane situation.

He told me that he'd look into it, then asked me if I wanted to speak to Renee. I really didn't, but I knew that Renee would be upset if I had called to talk to Charlie and didn't talk to her as well.

"Bella, sweetie! How are you? How's Edward?" Renee rambled off in her usual rambunctious way.

"I'm fine. Edward's fine," I told her.

"Hmmm ... he certainly is," she said.

"Mom!"

"What? I was just agreeing with you."

"Whatever," I told her, rolling my eyes.

I talked with her for a while before finally hanging up. The woman drove me nuts. Charlie and I had agreed that it was best not to worry her too much, so she knew nothing about what was going on.

At around nine, I crawled into bed with a book that I'd been reading on and off. I'd stolen it from Edward, but I was having trouble getting into it. Half an hour later, I threw the book down in disgust. It was complete garbage. I had no idea why people enjoyed it, but I sure as hell wasn't. I flopped onto my back and let out a huff. I was bored and wanted Edward. Not too much longer, I heard the door to my house open. Edward and I each had keys to the others house. It only made sense.

"Hey, sweet girl," he called up the stairs.

"Hey, babe. How was your night?" I asked as he came into the bedroom.

He sat down on the side of the bed and let out a sigh before stretching out on his back. I crawled over to him and knelt beside him, brushing his hair from his face. His eyes were closed, and he let out a little hum of pleasure. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Holy shit! What happened to you?" he asked.

I tried to hold back the snicker that threatened to erupt when I heard him swear. It always made me giggle. I leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I told you that I had it out with Jane," I reminded him.

He sat up and cupped my face in his hand. A frown marred his beautiful face, and I hated that.

"You didn't tell me that she hit you."

I rolled my eyes. "You think I look bad? You should see her. Bitch doesn't know how to fight."

The frown on his face deepened.

"I'm fine, Edward. I promise. It doesn't even hurt."

"Why did she hit you?" he asked, gently touching the bruise on my cheek.

"Probably because I planted my fist in her face."

His eyes widened with shock, and his hand fell away from my face.

"You hit her?" he asked, clearly shocked by my actions.

"She called you pathetic, and she insinuated that I was whoring myself out to help pay for Laurent's drug habit!" I shouted, defending myself.

He sat there shaking his head in disbelief. I didn't understand what the problem was. It wasn't like I just went up and hit her. I had a good reason. I was defending both of our honors.

"Bella, I love you, but fighting isn't the answer," he said.

I got off the bed and stood in front of him, arms crossed over my chest, glaring at him.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I wasn't going to just stand there while she called us names."

He sat up, putting his hands on my hips. "I understand that, love. But she could have you arrested. Did you think about that?"

I scowled. "Well, she didn't. Jake talked her out of it, although he said it didn't take much."

Edward leaned forward and rested his head against my stomach. My hands immediately found purchase in his hair. I understood that he was worried that Jane would have me arrested, but he needed to understand that I couldn't just stand by and let her talk shit, and I explained that to him.

"I know, sweet girl," he said, pressing a kiss to my stomach. "From now on though, please just fight with words. I don't want to see you hurt or arrested."

"Fine," I agreed with a huff. "But—if Rosalie or Alice start anything with me, I reserve the right to hit them."

"We'll see," was all he said before he pulled me down onto his lap and kissed the hell out of me.

Finally, we broke apart needing to breathe.

"You never did answer me. How was your night?"

"It started off stressful, but ended up okay."

"Tell me."

"We all gathered at Jasper's apartment, and it started off fine, eating pizza and watching a movie. Then Emmett brought up the fact that he and Rosalie are having problems. He's furious with her. I guess he found out that she wants me to date her sister, and he can't figure out why. According to him, Laurel is a witch and a, well—uh, a slut. He flat out told her to leave it alone because I was with you and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. So she's all pissed off at him, and he at her."

"And Jasper?" I asked.

"He's mad at Alice. He doesn't know why she keeps pushing the issue of Rosalie's sister. He's told her to leave it alone, but she just keeps bugging him about it. He said that he blew up at her, and they really got into it. When he asked her why she was so adamant about me dating Laura, she refused to give him an answer. He pretty much told Alice, that if she keeps it up, he's calling off the wedding."

_Whoa. _I hadn't expected that. It was nice to know though, that they had my back.

"After that, we played some Madden."

"You played a football video game?"

"Yes," he answered sounding affronted.

"How'd that go for you?" I asked, trying not to giggle.

"I can button mash with the best of them," he said with a wry grin.

I burst into giggles. I could just see him sitting there randomly pushing buttons trying to keep up with Emmett and Jasper.

"Are you laughing at me, Ms. Swan?"

"No," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

Before I could get away, Edward pounced on me, digging his fingers into my ribs, causing me to squeal. He was ruthless, refusing to stop until I warned him that I was going to pee my pants. Finally, he let me go and I laid there trying to catch my breath. Looking over at him, I saw a cocky look on his face. He looked very pleased with himself. I narrowed my eyes. I'd get him back when he least expected it.

* * *

><p>By the time Friday rolled around, I was ready for the weekend. It has been stressful at work the past few days, seeing as how Jane and I had to actually been in the same vicinity as one another and try and act civil. I pretty much ignored her, while she would send me dirty looks and mutter under her breath. I was pleased to see that she looked like shit and still bore my marks.<p>

Charlie hadn't gotten back to me yet, and I wasn't sure whether to be worried or not. It could mean that he didn't find anything, or it could be he found out something about her and was digging deeper. Either way, I was eagerly waiting to hear from him.

I got home that afternoon and found a bouquet of rhododendrons waiting for me on the front porch. I picked them and looked for a card, but found none. I was a bit perplexed. I could see Edward sending me flowers, but I was positive he would have sent a little love note with it. Quickly, I set them back down on the porch and pulled out my phone. I shot off a text to Edward and got a reply quickly.

He hadn't sent them. I debated for a few minutes on whether or not to call Mark and bother him over what could be nothing.

"Hunter."

"Mark? It's Bella."

"Bella! Have you spotted either of those men?" he asked.

"No, but someone left a bouquet of flowers on my front porch, and it wasn't Edward. I don't know of anyone else who would leave me flowers," I told him a bit more shaken than I'd realized.

Fifteen minutes later, Mark pulled into my drive. He bagged the flowers and the vase and told me that they'd look for fingerprints on them.

"It could be nothing," I protested, feeling slightly bad that I'd made him come out here.

"Or it could be something. Do you know the meaning behind rhododendrons?" he asked me.

I shook my head no.

"It means beware or danger. The fact that these have been sent to you without a note, has me wondering."

"How in the world do you know the meaning behind the flowers?" I asked, curiously.

Mark flushed a bit. "My mother was a florist. She loved flowers and growing up, she taught me the meaning behind different ones."

Before he left, Mark told me to call him if I got any other presents. I promised I would. I was extremely creeped out.

Two hours later, Edward pulled into his drive. I flew into his arms before he'd even shut his car door. I hugged him tightly, taking in his wonderful scent and the feel of his arms.

"Everything okay?" he asked, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"Mark came and got the flowers," I said, my voice muffled because I'd buried my head in his shirt. "He said the meaning behind the flowers was beware and danger."

I felt Edward stiffen beneath me. "Crap. Does he think those guys are after you?"

"I don't know. He's going to do fingerprinting tests on them or something. He said he'd let me know what he finds out. I'm so sorry, Edward. You're life was drama free before I came into it."

He hugged me tighter, running his fingers through my hair.

"Hush. I love you and nothing is going to change that. Um ... would you want to go out on a date with me this weekend?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

"It seemed the polite thing to do," he answered.

"Of course I'll go on a date with you."

"Excellent. How about dinner somewhere?"

I pulled away to look at him. "Dinner somewhere would be fabulous."

He gave my ass a pinch causing me to jump. "Don't be a smartypants."

I stuck my tongue out at him before turning and walking up the walk to his house. I didn't feel comfortable hanging out in my house at the moment. Edward followed me in, and we got settled on the couch after he changed into some comfortable clothes.

"Oh, Jasper got a job," he told me.

"Teaching?"

"Yeah, but he can't start until the beginning of the school year. So for now, he's stuck at the library until September. But at least he has a job lined up. I've still got nothing."

And that reminded me that I needed to talk to Jake and Seth about having Edward work on their website. I'd kept meaning to do it, but things had gotten in the way. I was about to ask him if he was interested in doing that, when my phone rang. Grabbing it, I noticed that Charlie was calling.

"Charlie?"

"Hey, Bells. Sorry, it's taken me so long to get back to you."

"What did you find out?"

* * *

><p>an: Oh, no I didn't? Oh, yes I did. I totally left it there. Why? Because I'm an evil bitch. Mwhaaaa! So as far as my crime detecting skills go, I was a criminal justice major for a semester, my mother's a criminologist, and I watch lots of crime dramas on TV, so I'm sure I'll manage to screw the process up. But it's fiction, so ... yeah. Anyway, let me know what you all thought. I'm attempting to eat right and exercise (ugh) so send some carrot sticks my way as well as a review.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a new Doctor Who Shirt.

A/N: Not much to say in the A/N this time except thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Although, I do have to say that writing a chapter while watching horror movies is not the best of ideas. Lol. I had to go back and scrap out a lot of crap that I'd written because I wasn't paying attention. Lesson learned. Alrighty folks. Let's see what Charlie has to say.

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book." ~ Marcel Proust**

* * *

><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

We had just settled in on the couch when Bella's phone rang. The caller id showed that it was Charlie. She answered the phone before putting it on speaker.

"Hi, Charlie. Edward's here with me," she told him.

I was unsure of speaker-phone etiquette, but I felt that I should say hi.

"Hello sir."

"Hello, Edward," the gruff voice over the phone asked. "Are you taking good care of my girl?" he asked.

I gulped looking over at Bella. If he saw the state of her face, he certainly wouldn't think I was taking good care of her.

"Uh—she, uh ... takes care of herself pretty well," I stammered out, face flushing.

Charlie barked out a laugh. "That she does."

"What did you find out about Jane?" Bella asked.

I heard him let out a heavy sigh. "Not a whole hell of a lot. Jane Volturri. Born January 3, 1987 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother was a homemaker and her father a teacher. She was an only child, and here's the kicker. She was killed by a drunk driver four years ago."

It took a moment for me to process what he had said. When it hit me, I realized that Bella was either working with a zombie, which was rather frightening in itself, or she was working with someone claiming to be Jane Volturri. Apparently, Bella came to the same conclusion.

"You're telling me that the real Jane Volturri is dead?"

"Yes."

"So, who the fuck am I working with?" she asked angrily.

"No idea. Can you get me a picture of her? If so, we can try and run facial recognition on it."

"I can try or have Jake or Seth do it. Oh, God! I need to let them know."

"Call them. Better yet, give me Jake's number and I'll talk to him. I'm going to see if he has any other information he can give me. Now, Bells. I need you to be careful around her. We don't know who she is."

"Yeah, about that."

Charlie let out a sigh. "What happened?"

"I kind of, sort of, beat the shit out of her. She was talking shit about me and Edward!" she explained.

"I hope you got her good," Charlie said, surprising me.

"Of course I did. You taught me how to fight, remember?"

"Well, no more fighting with her. Stay out of her way as best as you can. She could be dangerous," he warned.

"Can't we just have Jake fire her?"

"We could, but I'd rather know where she is than have her take off."

Bella talked to Charlie for a bit more before giving him Jake's number. After they hung up, she sat back with a sigh, rubbing her head.

"This is a fucking nightmare."

"I know, love," I told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Seeing the bruise and cut on her lip really bothered me, and it terrified me that those monsters on the loose would get a hold of her. It hurt me to see her hurt.

She reached up and cupped my cheek. "What's wrong?"

"I hate seeing you hurt. It really bothers me," I told her.

"I'm fine, Edward," she said, a bit of impatience in her voice.

"I realize that, but it still bothers me. I hate that anyone would want to hurt you. How would you like it if I came home bruised with a busted lip?"

"It would piss me the fuck off," she growled.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I get it. I promise to do my best not to get hurt."

That was all I could really ask for.

* * *

><p>We'd spent Saturday hanging around my house. We had planned on going out to dinner, but neither of us were really up for it. Charlie had called us back after he'd talked to Jake. Jake had given him what little bit of information he had regarding Jane, including her last place of work. Charlie had called and talked to her former employer. The guy had vouched for Jane and given Charlie a little more information about where she'd been previous to him. According to what Charlie had learned, Jane had been in New York City before Vegas. When he'd tried to contact the guy Jane had worked with there, he'd discovered that it was a bogus reference. Charlie was becoming convinced that Jane had ties to Caius and Demitri. I prayed that he was wrong.<p>

"Edward! Let's go. If you make me late for Esme's brunch, I'm going to hurt you!" Bella hollered at me from downstairs.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a pair of socks and put them on quickly. Bella was as bad as Emmett when it came to Mom's cooking. I ran down the stairs, tripped, and almost knocked myself out when I hit the floor.

"Edward! Oh, God. Are you okay?" Bella asked, hovering over me.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, my face a bright red.

"Let me take a look."

After seeing for herself that I was okay, she helped me up. Shoving my feet into my shoes, I followed her out the door and into her truck. She'd insisted on driving, so now I was stuck riding in the loud monster.

We pulled into the drive of my parents' house and saw that the others were already there. I truly hoped that Rosalie and Alice were on their best behavior, because I had a feeling that Bella wouldn't be taking any crap from them today. The last thing I wanted was for her to get in another fight. Although, I had no doubt that if it came to that, Bella would kick both of their butts.

Walking in, we didn't see anyone. I heard noises coming from the basement so we headed down to the den. Dad, Emmett, and Jasper were sitting around watching a football game. I hated football. Actually, I hated most organized sports. Probably, because I was horrible at them.

"Hey, guys," I said as we entered the den.

They looked away from the TV and greeted us with smiles.

"Hey, kids. How's it going?" Dad asked.

We had decided not to burden them with the bad news, but that didn't go as planned. Dad took one look at Bella's face and went into interrogation mode.

"What in the world happened to you?" he demanded to know as he took a look at her face.

"I got into a fight with this chick at work," she told him, batting his hands away as he attempted to gage the damage. "I'm fine, Carlisle. She looks a lot worse than I do."

"Why'd she hit you?" Emmett asked.

"She was talking shit about me and about Edward. I couldn't let that happen."

The boys barked out laughs and gave her a high-fives. I didn't approve with her physically fighting, but I also realized that she was a grown woman and would do what she wanted.

"Where's Mom?" I asked, turning the attention away from Bella and her Mike Tyson ways.

"Having a talk with Rose and Alice," Emmett told me.

"Yeah, we figured we'd be safer down here," Jasper added.

"You're probably right," I said just as the doorbell rang.

"Can one of you get that?" we heard Esme yell from upstairs.

I figured since I was the closest to the stairs I'd head up and get it. I had no idea who'd be coming over for Sunday brunch, but maybe Mom and Dad had invited someone. I trudged up the stairs and headed toward the front door. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and found my arms full of a wiggly girl.

"Oh, Edward. It's so wonderful to see you again," she purred as I tried to remove her from me.

I finally pulled her off of me and pushed her away.

"I'm sorry. Who are you?" I asked, knowing full well who she was. Her resemblance to Rosalie was obvious.

She put on a pout before running a finger down my arm. "Oh, you silly. You know who I am."

"I don't know who you are, but I do know that if you don't remove yourself from my boyfriend, I will be kicking your ass," I heard Bella say from behind me.

_Oh, thank God. _I seriously wanted to be rid of this unwanted woman, and who better to get rid of her than Bella?

Laurel or Laura or whatever her name was, pulled back from me and gave Bella a haughty glare.

"I'm Lauren Hale. Who are you?" she demanded to know.

Bella came over and wrapped her arms around me before answering.

"Bella Swan. Edward's girlfriend," she told her before planting one heck of a kiss on me.

Normally, I wasn't a big fan of PDA, but I wasn't about to tear my lips away from Bella's at that moment. I loved kissing her, and I hoped that Rosalie's sister would get the hint. Eventually, Bella pulled away, both of us breathing heavily. Bella turned, gave Laurel a smirk and headed into the kitchen.

"What brings you by?" I asked because my mother had enforced manners upon me at an early age, and it would be rude to just leave her standing there.

She tossed her stringy blond hair over her shoulder before answering. "Rose invited me."

"Excuse me for a moment," I told her before going to find Mom.

I found her coming out of the solarium with two shame-faced women behind her. Her face broke into a smile when she saw me and she grabbed me in a big hug.

"Hello, my sweet boy."

"Hi, Mom."

"Who was at the door?" she asked, attempting to smooth my hair down.

"Rosalie's sister. Laura."

"Her name is Lauren. Get it right," Rosalie snarled from behind us.

That was a bad move. Mom whirled around and gave Rosalie the best death glare I'd seen in a while. Mom was a master at the death glare.

"Well, I don't care what her name is, she isn't welcome here," Mom told her.

"If she leaves then so do I," Rosalie countered.

"Well then, I hope you two have a good day," Mom said before heading into the kitchen.

Rosalie stood there with her mouth open. I don't think that she had believed that Mom would make her go. I couldn't contain the smirk that had come over my face. Served her right. Rosalie shot me a glare, then stomped into the foyer to find her sister.

"Edward?" Alice asked in a meek voice.

"Yes?"

"Can we talk for a minute?"

I held back a groan. I wanted to go eat. I was starving, but she looked so sad that I gave in. I nodded and followed her into the living room and took a seat on the couch. She shifted from one foot to the next, twisting her hands together. I waited, knowing she would speak when she was ready.

"I owe you and Bella a huge apology," she quietly told me.

I didn't refute her. She did owe us.

She sat down next to me and took one of my hands in hers. I could see tears welling up in her eyes, and I could see remorse reflected in them.

"I don't even know how to explain. I—I'm jealous of Bella," she said softly.

My eyebrows raised. I couldn't fathom why she would be jealous of Bella.

"You and I have always been close, and I felt like you were pulling away from me once you started dating Bella. At first, I was really happy for you, and I really liked her. Then I noticed that you were spending less and less time with me, and that you didn't need me as much anymore."

I opened my mouth to speak, but she shook her head. "Let me finish, please. I know it sounds stupid. I was bitching to Rose about it, and she mentioned that her sister had a huge crush on you. She said if you dated Lauren, then you'd have more time for me."

"Huh?" I was confused about how that made sense.

"Lauren and Rose are really close and would spend a lot of time together, freeing you up to hang out with me."

"What about Jasper? You hang out with him all the time."

"Yeah, I didn't exactly think this through. Rosalie started planting ideas that you'd be happier with Lauren than Bella, and that Bella was a bad influence. I began to believe it and convinced myself that it was true."

I shook my head at her screwed up logic.

"Alice? I can't even begin to understand what you were thinking. I'm so angry with you. You've been acting like a childish brat, and I don't appreciate it. Neither does Bella. I can guarantee you that she will have a hard time forgiving you."

She nodded sadly. "I know. Mom asked that I show up early today so she could talk with me. She told me that all of this nonsense had to stop immediately. That I was hurting our family, and she couldn't understand why. She gave me that look, and I broke down and told her everything. She told me just how immature and childish I had been. Jasper had said the same thing last week. I'm so ashamed of the way I've acted," she said quietly.

I nodded because really, what else was there to say.

"Then, when Em and Rose showed up she asked to speak with Rose as well. It didn't go so well. Rose agreed to stop, but she's lying and Mom knows it," she continued.

I let out a sigh. We had enough crap to deal with, and I was tired of the petty games that Rosalie was playing.

"It ends now. I mean it, Alice. I can forgive you, but I swear if you ever pull anymore crap like that, it will not end well. Bella's got enough to deal with and the last thing she needs is to deal with you and Rosalie. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up going after Rosalie. Or Lauren," I added.

"Kids?" Dad asked, peeping his head around the corner. "Come get some food before Emmett eats it all."

We got up and headed to the dining room. I saw Bella was sitting across from Emmett watching in disgust as he shoveled three pancakes into his mouth. It was a disturbing sight.

"Emmett! We do not eat like that at the table. You know better," Mom scolded.

I let out a snort. He was a giant kid. I noticed that Rosalie sat at the table without her sister, and she looked pissed.

"Your mom and Bella had some words with her," Dad whispered in my ear before taking his seat.

Hearing that, I was surprised to see that Rosalie was unscathed. I figured for sure that Bella would have clawed her eyes out or something.

"Esme wouldn't let Bella hit her," Dad murmured.

"Ah," well that explained the lack of bruises.

I was honestly surprised that she was there. I'd thought for sure she would've taken off with her sister. Again, Dad filled in the blanks for me.

"Emmett wouldn't let her leave."

The rest of brunch went well, despite the fact that Rosalie was shooting glares at everyone. After she and Emmett left, the rest of us went to sit in the living room.

"Alright, you two. What's going on?" Dad asked.

Bella and I sat side by side on the couch, hands clasped together. Bella dove right in, telling them everything. By the time she was done, everyone was looking a little pale. Mom got up and wrapped Bella up in a tight hug, promising her that they wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"I want you to promise me right now, that you won't go hitting that Jane person again," Mom told her sternly.

"I promise," she begrudgingly mumbled.

I gave my mom a grateful look. I knew that Bella wouldn't break her promise to my mom unless it was absolutely necessary.

* * *

><p>Later that night we were laying in my bed, well our bed, talking.<p>

"Hey, Edward?"

"Hmmm?"

"I was wondering how the job search was coming along."

"It's not," I told her, rubbing my hand up and down her back as she lay across my chest.

"Well, I might be able to help you out."

My curiosity was piqued. "How so?"

"Remember when I talked to Jake earlier today?"

"Yeah."

"Well, his friends Jared and Paul are opening up a comic bookstore in Port Angeles. They just got everything finalized and are going to be getting things ready so that they can open within the next month. They were asking Jake if he knew of anybody who would be interesting in working full-time for them as a clerk. Jake suggested you if you were interested."

_Was I?_ I loved comic books. Went with the whole being a nerd thing, I supposed. It was definitely a possibility. I was going to need a full-time position, and I could carpool with Bella. However, there was the possibility that these guys' store would tank and then I'd be out of a job. But ever since I'd started dating Bella, I'd done things I'd never done before. I'd become more adventurous and more confident.

"Edward?"

"Sorry, love. I was thinking. I would be interested. I guess just have them call me or something."

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at me. Her eyes were bright with excitement.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why not? I love comic books, and I love to read. I'm not exactly great with people, but then again, the people who come into comic book stores are my kind of people."

"I'll let Jake know first thing tomorrow," she said, her voice giddy.

I was finding myself more and more enthused just because she was so excited.

"Just think, if you get this job you can carpool with me everyday," she said. "And have quickies on our lunch breaks."

My eyes grew wide at that prospect. I'd never considered that. We'd never actually had a quickie. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Just imagine," she purred in my ear. "You come to visit me for lunch. I drag you into the break room, shove you against the closed door and start to unzip your pants. We have limited time and the fact that anyone could walk on in on us only adds to the excitement," she began.

I could feel myself hardening at her words and knew I wouldn't be able to take much more. Quickly, I flipped us over so that I was on top of her, and I crushed my lips against hers to quiet the flow of words. She let out a low moan before delving her fingers into my hair and gripping it. I loved when she did that. I slowly broke the kiss and pressed soft kisses against her neck, smiling when I felt goosebumps erupt across her skin.

She grabbed one of my hands and guided it up her body to her breast, and I gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Yesss …" she hissed as my fingers quickly found her nipple and tugged on it gently.

Bending down, I flicked my tongue over her nipple, and she inhaled sharply before letting a lusty moan. If I hadn't been hard before, I certainly was now. I wrapped my lips around one nipple and sucked on it. I was so caught up in the joy and pleasure I was giving her, that I was startled when I felt her small hand on me. She pumped me a couple of times and had me on the edge.

"You've gotta stop or this is going to be over before it gets started," I whispered as I removed my lips from her nipple and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

She pouted, but removed her hand from me. I barely managed to repress the groan at the loss of her hand on me, but I hadn't been kidding. I was so worked up, I knew that I'd probably let go the minute I slid inside of her. Knowing that, I knew I needed to make her feel good.

I reached down and tenderly stroked the moist petals of her sex with my fingers. She closed her eyes and nuzzled my neck as I pleasured her, her tongue darting out to lick me.

"Edward," she moaned, fueling my need for her further.

She shuddered and cried out as my finger, coated with her own juices, ever so gently circled her clit. I kept teasing her, tracing gentle circles around her nub before slowly moving my finger inside of her.

"Stop teasing me," she growled against my lips. "I need you inside me. Please, " she begged.

How could I possibly resist her? I leaned down and brought my lips to hers yet again. I could never get enough of her lips. Bella reached down and gently took hold of me, rubbing me against her moist slit. We both let out a moan. She was so wet and warm, and I couldn't help but thrust into her. Her arms and legs wrapped around me, pulling me closer and holding me tight. I began to thrust harder and deeper into her, and I couldn't contain that moans that were coming from me. I reached one hand down and gently circled her nub, causing her to cry out.

"Edward!"

I always felt a rush of pride flow through me every time she screamed my name. Moments later, I was roaring hers. I managed to keep myself from collapsing on her, but just barely. I rolled over onto my back and brought Bella with me.

"Mmm ... I love doing that," Bella murmured pressing a kiss over my heart.

I couldn't help but agree.

Monday morning I got a call from Jared who asked me if I could do an interview with him later in the week. I readily agreed. I spent my day at work worrying about my interview and worrying about Bella. She had to go in and work with that non-Jane person or so I thought. During lunch she gave me a call.

"Hey, sweet girl. How are things?"

"Okay."

"Just okay? Jane leaving you alone?" I asked.

"She called in sick today, but I found a picture of her online and sent it to Charlie. Hopefully, they can work some magic and tell us who she really is."

"Let's hope so."

"Jake told me that Jared was going to call you. Did he?"

"Yep. I've got an interview set for Wednesday during my lunch hour," I told her.

"Awesome. I've never met Jared, but I have met Paul. He's a nice guy. I really hope that you get the job."

"Me, too."

We talked for a little bit longer before hanging up. I left the break room and headed back out front.

"You got a job interview?" Jasper asked, sitting down next to me.

I hadn't realized that he'd heard me.

"Yeah."

"Well? An interview where?"

So I filled him on. He thought it sounded like a great idea and wished me the best of luck. After that we sat and talked about Alice's apology and how things were going with them. He told me that he was still upset with her, but her attitude had changed, and she assured Jasper that she wouldn't hang around Rosalie as much. I was glad to hear that.

I got off work at six and headed home. I knew Bella wouldn't get home until seven, so I figured I'd have time to prepare something for dinner. Although, I had no idea what. I pulled into my drive and was surprised to see Emmett's Hummer parked in it, and Emmett sitting on the steps to my house.

"Hey," I called out as I climbed out of my car.

He looked up at my voice, and I held back a gasp as I looked at him. He looked miserable. Gone was my happy-go-lucky brother, and he was replaced with a sad looking man.

"Hey," he responded in a weary voice.

I walked up the steps and unlocked the door, gesturing him in. He walked in and took a seat on my couch, burying his face in his hands. I walked into the kitchen and pulled out a can of soda. I didn't have anything stronger to give him, but maybe that was a good thing. I walked back into my living room and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

I sat down in the recliner across from him and waited. Like Alice, I knew he'd speak when he was ready.

"I left Rose," he said.

I was shocked. I knew how much he loved her, despite being a total witch. I had never imagined that he'd leave her.

"We had a huge fight last night. She was mad because I wouldn't let her leave with Lauren at brunch."

He stopped to take a deep breath, and the sadness in his eyes was almost too much to bear.

"When we got home, she really laid into me. Started shouting at me. Screaming that I loved you guys more than I loved her. That if I really loved her, I would've let her go with Lauren. So then I had a few things to say about that. I told her I didn't understand why she was so adamant about hooking Lauren up with you, and that she needed to leave things alone," he said, tugging the ends of his hair.

"I take it that didn't go well," I said.

He barked out a harsh laugh. "Yeah, you could say that. She started in on how Bella was just using everyone, and that we were all falling for her act. She got real mad that I defended Bella. There was a lot of screaming and shouting. She told me that I had a choice to make. Her or you guys. Claimed that she was tired of playing second fiddle to the family and that if I really loved her, I would back her up."

I winced. If you truly loved someone, you didn't make them choose between you and your family.

"I told her that if she loved me, she wouldn't ask me to make that kind of choice. She just gave me a glare and demanded an answer."

"What did you tell her?" I asked just as the door unlocked.

We both looked up and saw Bella walk in. She gave us a apologetic smile and told us she could leave if we needed some privacy.

"It's okay, Bella. You can stay," Emmett said.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting down next to him.

"I left Rose," he said, his eyes tearing up a bit.

Bella wrapped him up in a huge hug and held onto him, rocking gently back and forth.

"Oh, Emmett. I'm so sorry. I feel like this is all my fault."

He pulled away from her, shaking his head. "No, Bella. Don't blame yourself. Unfortunately, this has been a long time coming."

He quickly summarized what he'd told me before finally answering my question.

"I told her that I loved her, but I wasn't going to play her games anymore; I was done."

"She took that badly, didn't she?" Bella asked.

Emmett nodded, and she gave his hand a light squeeze.

"I told her I was leaving. That she could have the house or whatever, but I couldn't do it anymore. I told her I loved her, but not enough to continue with our farce of a marriage. Then I left and came here."

"You can stay here as long as you want," I told him, hating that my brother was hurting.

"Thanks, bro, but I don't want to cramp your style."

I rolled my eyes. If he needed to stay, then I was more than willing to let him.

"You can always stay at my place if you need to," Bella said.

"Thanks, B. But I think I'm gonna head to Mom and Dads. There's something about the comfort of your childhood home when you're feeling down."

Bella insisted that he stay for dinner, and he agreed. After we ate, he left to head to Mom and Dads, and Bella and I curled up on the couch.

"Do you think he'll go back to her?" she asked, resting her head against my shoulder.

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so. As much as he still loves her, I think he's begun to realize that she doesn't love him."

* * *

><p>Before I realized it, Wednesday had arrived. I was a nervous wreck. Bella had done her best to calm my nerves, but they were still there. Jared and Paul had agreed to meet me at the diner over my lunch break. I thought it was a bit odd to have an interview at a busy diner during lunch, but that was just me. Bella had suggested that I show my interest by wearing one of my X-Men t-shirts. I had thrown it on under my polo, so I didn't look completely unprofessional.<p>

I walked into the diner at quarter to noon and waited just inside the door. I had no idea what either of them looked like. A few minutes of waiting, two Native American guys walked in. I realized that they didn't know what I looked like either, so I walked over and introduced myself.

"Excuse me? Are you all Jared and Paul?" I asked. "I'm Edward Cullen."

"Hey, hey, Edward. I'm Jared," the taller one said.

After introductions were made, we got a table toward the back and ordered. I was terribly nervous and could barely contain myself from fiddling with my silverware.

"So, Edward," Jared began. "Why do you want to work at a comic book store?"

* * *

><p>an: There we have it. All kinds of stuff happened in this chapter. I wasn't expecting Emmett to leave Rosalie, but he was tired of dealing with her. Can't blame him. Again, this was un-beta'd so I apologize for any errors. I know this wasn't the most exciting of chapter, but more of a filler chapter. Anyway, you know the drill. Leave me a little something.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Not mine. I do own, yet another new Doctor Who shirt. Is my nerd showing?

A/N: So I totally flubbed up the first part of last chapter, which several of you were quick to point out, so thank you. I went back and corrected it asap. I was a bit surprised at the lack of reviews last chapter, but hey, what can you do? I realized it wasn't the most exciting of chapters. For those that did review, thanks a ton. I always appreciate them. As always, a big thanks to everyone who reads this little story.

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"Beauty is skin deep. A tattoo goes all the way to the bone." ~ Author Unknown**

* * *

><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

Wednesday morning I walked into Eclipse and was a bit surprised to see Jane there. I'd figured for sure that she'd gone underground and was on the run. Hell, that's what I would've done. If, you know, I was to assume the identity of a dead woman and realized that people might be poking around. Then again, she wasn't that smart.

I had talked to Charlie the night before and let him know that Jane hadn't shown up for two days. He'd been concerned that she realized we were on to her, although we hadn't done anything to tip her off. Charlie also informed me that he had talked to Mark and caught him up on things. Mark was a bit upset with me for going to Charlie first. I felt bad, but Charlie had more resources than Mark. According to Charlie, they'd managed to pull a few IDs and driver's licenses for Jane, but they all had aliases. She had done a good job of covering up her real identity, and that made me angry. I wanted to know who the bitch was.

"Feeling better?" I asked Jane, not really caring one or the other.

She gave me a glare before answering. "I'm fine."

I crossed my arms and gave her a smirk. "Thought perhaps I'd run you off."

I knew I was playing with fire, but I couldn't stop myself. It pissed me the fuck off that she was running around pretending to be someone she wasn't.

Jane gave me a sneer. "Whatever, Swan. You're not as tough as you think you are."

I gave a shrug. "I found it a bit odd that you called in sick for two days after I kicked your ass."

That really pissed her. She stood up and got in my face. Her eyes were wild with rage.

"You didn't kick my ass. You just better be glad that Jacob talked me out of filing charges against you."

"From what I hear, he didn't have to try to hard. Got something to hide, Volturri?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever, Swan," she sneered as Seth walked in.

"Problem, ladies?"

We shook our heads and went back to work. I kept an awfully close eye on her though. At noon, I took my lunch and met with Leah and Sam at the small bistro around the corner.

"Hey, ladies!" I called out as soon as I saw them.

We hadn't gotten together in a while, all of us busy with stuff, but had finally decided to meet for lunch.

I was hugged by both women before we sat down.

"So?" Leah asked after we'd ordered drinks.

"What?"

"How are things with you and Little Cullen?"

I couldn't contain the smile that spread over my face. I hadn't told them that the L word had been uttered.

"Oh, shit! You said it! He said it! You both said it!" she squealed.

I let out a laugh. Leah was a riot.

"Yes, we did. He's my everything."

I went on to tell them about about the drama that had been following me around as well as the fact that Edward was interviewing for a job with Jared and Seth.

"He'll get the job. Jared and Paul have already decided to hire him. They're just doing the interview for appearance's sake."

I sat back in my chair. "Really? But they don't even know him."

Sam smiled. "They know Jake and Seth. The boys vouched for Edward, and that was good enough for them."

We chatted for a while longer before we each had to get back to work. I let myself in the back door of Eclipse and found Seth in the back room staring at the photos of the two men on the board.

"What's up?" I asked, closing the door.

"I'm not sure yet. But I'm telling you, Bells. This guy," he said, pointing to Alec Caius, "looks so fucking familiar. It's bugging the hell out of me."

"It'll come to you. Don't force it," I told him before heading back to work.

At quarter to two, my phone beeped, and I saw I had a text from Edward. Excusing myself, to take my break, I headed to the back to talk to him. I dialed his number and smiled when he answered.

"Hey, babe. How was the interview?"

He let out a breath. "It went really well. They offered me the job," he said, sounding surprised.

"That's freaking awesome! I'm so excited for you!" I squealed over the phone. Yes, I squealed. Sue me. I was allowed to squeal when my boyfriend got a new job.

"It's unreal. I'll start as soon as the shop is up and running. They're looking at about a month and a half, which is fine. Gives me plenty of time to let the library know. So, how is work going?"

"Staying busy. Jane showed up today, but we've kept our distance from each other for the most part," I told him.

We talked for a few more minutes before saying goodbye. I was bouncing with excitement when I headed back onto the floor. Jake gave me a grin.

"He got the job, didn't he?"

"Yep."

"Knew it."

* * *

><p>Later that night, Jake and Seth came over to hang out. We'd been trying to get together once a week, but it didn't always work. Jake was sprawled out on the living room floor of my house, with Seth propped up against him. We were watching some Spanish film about a woman who'd gone psycho and killed her kids. I wasn't sure why were watching it.<p>

"This movie is awful," Edward groaned.

"I agree," I told him.

"It's not that bad," Jake said.

"Yes, it is!" the three of shouted at him.

"Fine. I give up!" he cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "Pick something else then."

And that was how we ended up watching _Charlie and the Chocolate factory._ Great movie. One of my favorites as well as Edwards.

"Holy shit!" Seth hollered out right after Willy Wonka met the kids.

"What?" I asked.

"He's a perv!"

"What? Who's a perv?" I asked, completely confused.

"Willy Wonka. Did you ever notice that he touches each of those kids when he's introduced to them? He rubs all up on Verruca's chest when he's touching her coat."

Needless to say, the rest of the night was spent analyzing every move Mr. Wonka made. I would never be able to watch it the same again. Damn Seth for ruining it for me.

After the movie was over, we got serious and discussed Jane and the men who had been after Laurent. So far, no one had seen either of the two men, something I was very grateful about. I didn't want anyone getting hurt. It was as we were discussing things that Seth realized why Caius looked so familiar to him.

"Fucking hell!"

We all turned to Seth.

"What?" Jake asked.

"I know why that Caius guy looks so familiar."

All of our attention was focused on Seth.

"I don't know why I didn't see it earlier."

"Seth! Tell us!" I growled out.

"I think he and Jane, or whoever she is, are related. They have similar eyes and they have the same cruel smile."

_Oh, fuck me._ He was right. I felt as though I couldn't breath. Thoughts were running rampant through my head. All kinds of what ifs were floating about.

"Bella? Sweet girl, you need to calm down," Edward said as I tried to catch my breath.

I hadn't even realized that I'd begun to hyperventilate. All I could think was that I was working with someone who was related to a murderer. Grabbing his phone off the coffee table, Edward started pushing buttons. A few minutes later, we heard a male voice answer.

"Hunter."

"Hi, Mark. It's Edward. I hate to bother you so late, but something has come up."

"It's not a problem. What's going on?"

Edward explained Seth's theory that Jane and Alec were related. Mark assured us that he'd look into it right away. I reached over and grabbed my own phone, deciding to give Charlie a call. I told him what Seth thought, and Charlie said he'd get in touch with Mark and for us to be cautious.

"Don't go antagonizing her, Bells. She could be dangerous. Especially if she is related to Caius."

"I'll be a good girl," I told him, hearing him snort at my words.

Needless to say that turn of events kind of ruined the lightheartedness of our evening. Edward and I crawled into bed shorty after the boys left. Edward fell asleep right away, but I tossed and turned most of the night. Every time I fell asleep, I had horrible dreams about Jane and Alec.

_I was huddled in a dark corner behind some crates in an old warehouse. I wasn't sure how I'd gotten there, but I knew that I was in danger._

_"Come out, come out, where ever you are little girl!" a male voice taunted from across the empty room. _

_Peering around the edge of the crate, I saw Alec Caius standing across the way, the moonlight bouncing off the deadly knife he held in his hand. There was no way I was moving from my spot. Peering around me as best as I could in the darkness, I spotted a window a few feet away. I started crawling toward it, but stopped when I heard another voice coming from nearby. My heart was pounding so loud it was ringing in my ears. I held my breath terrified that whoever it was would hear me. _

_"Bella!" Jane's voice called out. "I've got something of yours."_

_Dread washed over me. Turning around, I watched as Jane stepped into the moonlight with Edward. Oh, God! No! His wrists and legs were tied with rope, and he had bruises covering his beautiful face. Jane had a gun trained on him, and I watched helplessly as he tried to free himself from his bonds. _

_"Stay still, or I'll fucking shoot you!" she snarled at him._

_"Run, Bella! Get out!" Edward hollered into the darkness. _

_Fear had paralyzed me, but I knew that I couldn't leave without him. He was my life. My everything. _

_"Shut up!" Jane yelled before she hit him in the head with the gun. _

_I watched in horror as he crumpled to the floor. I knew that I had to act fast, and I quickly scanned the area for a weapon. There was an old, rusty pipe on the floor. Crawling to it, I quietly picked it up. I had no idea how I was going to make things work, but I knew that I had to._

_Slowly, keeping myself pressed against the walls, I made my way toward Jane and Alec. I knew that if they spotted me, Edward and I were as good as dead. _

_"Bella!" Jane called out again. "Show yourself or your pathetic little boyfriend dies."_

_I was almost to her. All I had to do was—_

_A loud shot rang out, and I watched in horror as blood began pouring from the wound in Edward's chest._

_"Edward!"_

"Bella! Wake up, sweet girl. Wake up," I heard Edward crooning.

I opened my eyes and saw Edward leaning over me, concern etched on his face. I threw myself at him, holding on tight, unable to stop the tears that spilled.

"It's okay, Bella. It's okay. It was just a dream," he whispered softly, rocking us gently while pressing kisses into my hair.

Finally, I pulled away, wiping the tears from my face.

"What scared you so bad?" he asked me, clasping my hands in his.

"It was horrible. We were in this warehouse, and Jane had you. She—" I stumbled over the next few words. "She shot you in the chest."

Edward held me tighter as the tears started again. The dream had really scared me. What was worse, was that it could happen. For all we knew, Jane was a hired assassin, and it was her mission to take me and my family and friends out.

* * *

><p>By the time Friday rolled around, I was a mess. Every night I was plagued with bad dreams that always ended with Edward dying. I was starting to become paranoid. I could've sworn that I saw a car following me home Thursday and that my stuff had been rifled through at work. I was on edge and as a result, so was everyone else.<p>

I pulled into my drive and noticed with a bit of trepidation and yet, relief, that Mark's cruiser was parked on the street. Getting out and locking my truck, I headed over to Edward's. I let myself in and found a group of people in Edward's living room. The Cullen family minus Rosalie were there as well as Jake and Seth.

"Hey, sweet girl," he murmured in my ear, pulling me into a hug.

I hugged back and gave him a peck on the lips before greeting everyone. After we were all seated, Mark stood up.

"I've called you all here because I've got some news. Bella, I've been in touch with Charlie and the two of us have learned quiet a bit. I'd prefer you all to listen to what I have to say first, and then we can get to the questions."

We all agreed.

Mark took a deep breath, opened up the file he held in his hand, and began to fill us in on what he and Charlie had learned.

"It took lots of hours and manpower, but we have finally identified the woman known as Jane Volturri. Her real name is Heidi Marcus, and she is wanted for multiple crimes across the country. Everything from identity fraud to attempted murder. She's been in and out of the system since she was twelve. She is very good at changing her appearance and identity which is why she hasn't been caught. Until now. We will be apprehending her shortly."

Mark stopped for a moment to look at us.

"What I have to tell you next is very important. Heidi Marcus is Alec Caius' half-sister. I have no doubt that her being in Port Angeles and getting a job at Eclipse was not a coincidence. From what we've gathered, with the help of the NYPD, is that she was sent here to find Laurent and the drugs he stole. Whether she killed him or not, we don't know. But—" he stressed, she is extremely dangerous."

The anger and rage that I felt for Jane/Heidi intensified. I was furious that that despicable bitch had come into our lives.

"At the moment, Demitri is in the custody of the Seattle P.D. He was busted for speeding. He will be returned to New York shortly. As for Alec Caius, he's in the wind. He slipped the tail that was watching him. Chances are good that he's coming this way. If he shows up here, do not engage him. This is a man who has no qualms about killing whomever gets in his way."

"Do you really think he'll show up?" I asked.

"It's possible," Mark said.

"But—I guess I don't understand why he would. I mean, someone already killed Laurent. What's left?"

Mark came over and knelt down in front of me. "Bella, you have to understand that Caius knows that Laurent stole drugs from him. Those drugs haven't been recovered, and those drugs are what Caius wants."

"Well, I certainly don't have the drugs."

"We know that, but Caius doesn't. All of you need to be on alert. I mean it. If you so much as suspect something is wrong, you call me right away. This is serious. Don't go and try to play the hero."

We asked a few more questions and by the time Mark left, we were all feeling edgy. I was horribly upset that I had caused all the drama.

"Bella, sweet girl. You didn't cause this. I've told you time and time again. If it's anyone's fault, it's Laurent's."

"But if I hadn't come here, then Laurent wouldn't have followed, and none of this would be happening."

"If you hadn't come here, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to fall in love with the most wonderful person I've ever met," he told me softly.

My heart melted a little at that. And Edward was right. None of what was going on was my fault. If only I could believe that.

Saturday morning, I awoke to Edward's soft kisses. It was moments like that, that I treasured. Just the two of us curled up in bed. We spent the day lazing around, doing our best to forget the impending doom that seemed to be lurking on the horizon.

Sunday was spent at the Cullens' house. The minute we walked into the house, we were wrapped up in a big hugs by Esme.

"How are you doing?" she asked me as Edward headed inside and down to the den. I knew that he wanted to check up on Emmett. He'd been worried about his big brother.

I shrugged. "I'm holding up. I'll feel better once Caius is caught."

"Me, too," she agreed before giving me another hug. "Why don't you go relax with the kids. Brunch will be ready shortly."

I headed toward the sound of shouting coming from the den, but stopped when I saw Emmett coming out of a room down the hall. He gave me a smile, but his eyes were sad, missing their usual sparkle. I rushed over to him and gave him a hug.

"How are you holding up?" I asked him softly.

"It's hard. I miss her. I miss who she used to be. I love her so freaking much, but I can't be with someone who doesn't love me back," he told me.

I gave him a sad smile and squeezed his hands. What could I say? He was right.

As Emmett and I headed toward the den, Alice stopped me.

"Bella? Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, her voice hesitant.

I knew she was wanted to apologize for the shit that she had pulled. Edward had told me how she'd apologized to him and that he'd forgiven her. I, on the other hand, wasn't so ready to forgive.

I gestured with my hand for her to speak. It took a few minutes before she finally started, and I was sure my agitation was showing.

"Um ... I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I was really childish and rude, and I'm sorry. I hope that in time you can forgive me," she said, barely able to meet my gaze.

I didn't say anything for several long minutes. Let's face it. It was a crap apology, and I couldn't tell if it was sincere or not. Deciding I'd let her stew for a bit, I stood there staring at her, not saying a word. She was beginning to antsy, shifting from one foot to the other. Finally, I spoke.

"You weren't just childish and rude. You were a heinous bitch, and I didn't appreciate the way you treated Edward or me. I know that Edward has already forgiven you, but I'm not as nice, nor as forgiving. Prove to me that you really are sorry, and maybe I'll forgive you," I told her before heading downstairs.

I could tell from her face that that wasn't what she wanted to hear, but tough shit. For all I knew, her apology was just part of an act.

I headed down to the den and found Jasper and Edward in a debate about who was more badass; Wolverine or Iron Man. Emmett was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels. I flopped down next to him and listened to the debate ensue.

"No way, Jasper. You're wrong. Iron Man is way cooler," Edward argued.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Dude, no he's not. Wolverine is badass. He's got foot long razor claws forged out of hardcore metal. He's got an awesome I-don't-give-a-fuck attitude, and he'll take on anybody, anytime, anywhere. That makes him way more badass than Iron Man."

Edward just stared at Jasper in disbelief as was I. I had no idea that Jasper was into comic book characters. I turned to Emmett.

"Did you know about this?"

"About what?" he asked.

"Jasper's love of Wolverine."

He gave a snort. "He has a man crush on him."

I let out my own snort at that. I kinda had to agree with Jasper, though. Wolverine was pretty badass. Edward, however, was not to be swayed.

"No way! Iron man is way more badass," Edward argued, and I felt heat pool in my belly at him saying the word badass. "Iron Man may not have metal claws, but he's still powerful. His power is his intelligence. Instead of letting his kidnappers turn him into a weapon of mass destruction, he built a suit to save his life. Heck, he's so badass that he doesn't care if all the criminals in the world know who he is."

It was freaking hot the way Edward was getting so worked up. It made me want to drag him upstairs to one of the bedrooms and have my wicked way with him. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes bright, and his voice filled with so much passion.

"Stop drooling," Emmett snickered having busted me staring at Edward.

"I can't help it. He's so fucking hot when he's worked up."

Emmett made a face. "Ewww. That was way more than I wanted to know."

"What was way more than you wanted to know?" Jasper asked, turning his attention to us.

"Bella was talking about how hot Eddie is when he's worked up."

Jasper gave me a look of disgust, while Edward shot me a cocky smirk. _ Hmmm,_ that smirk was sexy as hell.

Edward stalked over to me and sat down, pulling me into his lap.

"You think I'm hot, huh?" he whispered in my ear, a little bit of disbelief making itself present.

I turned to face him, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips.

"Always. But seeing you get all worked up was really hot. I especially enjoyed hearing you say badass."

His lips crashed down on mine in a fierce kiss, that I gladly returned.

"Knock it off, you two!" Emmett growled from his spot on the couch.

We pulled apart, and I watched, fascinated, as a blush made its way up Edward's cheeks. He buried his face in my hair, and I let out a snicker. It was so cute the way he got embarrassed.

"Aw, is Eddie embarrassed?" Emmett teased.

"Don't call me Eddie!"

I rolled my eyes. I didn't know why Edward responded. He knew that Emmett said it to annoy him.

After brunch, we decided to hang around and just enjoy being with the family. We ended up playing Monopoly, and it was a riot. Who would've known that Carlisle was a Monopoly guru? He was a fierce competitor and an excellent negotiator. Before I realized it, I'd given him Park Place and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why or what I'd gotten in return.

"He's a sly devil, that one," Esme told me.

"I'll say. He's ruthless."

"Yes, he is. Just one of the things I love about him," she told me, gazing at Carlisle and giving a little sigh.

I loved how sweet and romantic they were with one another. I hoped that my relationship with Edward would always be like that. Even when we were old and gray. Not that Carlisle or Esme were old or gray.

After loosing spectacularly to Carlisle, we said goodbye and headed home. It was getting to the point where it seemed ridiculous for us to have two houses. I had a mortgage on mine, while Esme and Carlisle owned Edward's. I wanted to ask him to move in with me. My house was slightly bigger than his, and while I loved his house, I loved mine more.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked me as we drove home.

Turning sideways in my seat so I could face him, I thought about how to go about asking him. The worst that happened was that he said no. Although, I really hoped that he wouldn't.

"Would you move in with me?" I asked, figuring it was best to just get it out there. "It just seems dumb to have two houses considering that we're rarely ever apart. It's not that I don't like your house, I do. I just love mine a little bit more, plus it's bigger, and I have a mortgage, and —"

"I'd love to."

"Half your stuff is over at my—wait. What?"

"I'd love to move in with you," he said, giving me that wonderful smile of his.

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

I couldn't have contained my excitement if I tried. It was a good thing we were stopped at a red light because I threw myself at him, and hugged him as hard as I could. _Holy shit!_ My boyfriend was moving in with me. I did a little dance in my seat after I released him from my hug. I could hardly wait.

He let out a laugh at my exuberance. "So, when do you want me to start moving in my stuff?"

"Right away! Hell, half your stuff is over there now. Although, I don't know what you want to do about your furniture."

"Most of the furniture was already in the house. We can just leave it. There are a few select pieces that I want, but the rest can stay there."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Unless you want to move that awful purple couch into my house, and we'll bring my couch to yours?"

"Ha! Fat chance. I love my couch!"

We pulled into his drive, and got out, and that was when I noticed another bouquet of flowers on my front porch. Edward immediately called Mark, who was quick to come over and get them.

"Well, chances are good that Heidi didn't deliver them. We have her locked up. I'll do some more digging and let you know what I find," he told us before leaving.

We were immensely relieved to hear that Heidi was locked up. It made me feel a lot safer knowing that she wasn't out and about.

* * *

><p>The beginning of the week came and went quickly. I had told Jake and Seth about Edward moving in, and they offered their help if we needed it. So far, we hadn't. We were throwing stuff in garbage bags or boxes and carrying them over to my place. Monday evening, Edward had called his folks and let them know that he was moving in with me. Esme was thrilled.<p>

Tuesday evening we had just sorted all of Edward's books and put them on the huge bookshelf that we had bought, when the doorbell rang. I headed downstairs and found Mark on the other side of the door.

"Hi, Mark."

"Evening Bella. I got some information about those flowers."

I told him to take a seat and asked if he wanted anything to drink.

"I'm good. Is Edward around? I want you both to hear this."

"Sure. Let me get him."

A few minutes later, Edward and I were seated on the couch waiting for Mark to begin.

"Turns out the ribbon that the bouquet was tied with, had a small inscription on the underside of it. It read Bud and Bloom which is the name of a flower shop in Port Angeles. I sent my deputy down there today and guess who works there? Lauren Hale."

My mouth fell open. "You're telling me that Lauren sent me those flowers?"

"Yes. She sent them hoping that they would scare you. Apparently, she is quite jealous of your relationship with Edward."

"What an idiot," Edward said.

I wholeheartedly agreed. But then again, look at Rosalie. Neither of them were too smart.

"So what's going to happen to her?" I asked.

Mark let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, nothing. Sending someone flowers isn't a crime, no matter what the meaning behind the flowers is. My deputy did have a nice chat with her though, and I'm confident you won't be getting any more flowers from her."

I was a relieved to know that at least one mystery had been solved.

"Have you learned anything from Heidi?" I asked because I was dying to know what she'd told them.

Mark shook his head. "Not a lot. She's good at keeping quiet. We've provoked her a few times, so she let some things slip when she was angry, but then she lawyered up. Until her attorney arrives from New York we can't touch her."

I shook my head in disgust. It was stupid to hope that the bitch would just up and confess.

"Did she mention the whereabouts of her brother?" Edward asked.

Again, Mark shook his head. "No, but Seattle P.D. let me know that Demitri is cutting a deal and wants to talk. I'm heading there tomorrow to find out what he knows."

"Will you let us know what you find out?" I asked.

"Yes. I'd rather tell all of you at once, so why don't we meet here tomorrow around seven, and I'll go over everything then."

We agreed and said goodbye to Mark.

"I hope that Demitri tells them what they want to know," Edward said softly.

"Me, too."

I was in a hurry for tomorrow night to arrive. Hopefully, we'd have a better idea of what was going on after Mark got back.

Edward and I got ready for bed and for the first time in a week, I actually got a decent nights sleep.

* * *

><p>an: Well, well. Look at that. We learned a few things in this chapter. We learned who Jane is, who sent the flowers, and who Edward thinks the most badass comic book character is. If you had to choose between Wolverine or Iron Man, who would you choose? Personally, I'm a Wolverine fan. Let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I own a lot of stuff, but not Twilight.

A/N: You guys are the best! I love getting your reviews. Especially when I'm at work. They liven up my night. So this chapter has some info, some drama and some lovin'. By the way, all my crime speak in here is going off of crime shows that I've watched, and I'm sure I embellished some. Of course I did. So, don't yell at me if it's wrong. BTW, I had to redo this chapter because I wrote the first 6 pages from BPOV before I realized it was Edward's turn. He was _**not **_happy with me. As a result, he wanted to play some D&D (Dungeons and Dragons for those that don't know). Are you ready to get your nerd on?

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"A room without books is like a body without a soul."~ Cicero**

* * *

><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

Last week had been interesting to say the least. I'd had my job interview on Wednesday with Jared and Paul and surprisingly it had gone well. I'd been so nervous, and I was sure that they could tell.

"So, Edward. Why do you want to work in a comic book store?" Jared had asked me.

And in true Edward Cullen fashion I blurted out, "Because I'm a nerd."

_Yeah_. Not one of my finer moments. I dropped my head into my hands to hide my face and the blush that had taken over. Thankfully, both of the guys had laughed. After that things went a bit more smoothly. By the time my lunch hour was over, I had been offered a job which I readily accepted.

"Let's get in touch sometime next week to go over the finer details," Paul had said.

"Sure. What day works best for you?"

"We've got meetings all week, except for Monday and Wednesday night," Jared said.

"Yeah, but we have D&D on Monday night," Paul interrupted.

I perked up a bit. I hadn't played D&D in years. "You guys play?"

"Yeah. You?" Jared asked me.

"Not since college."

"We can always use another person or two. Let me talk to the others and maybe you can join us for a game on Monday night."

"I've got plans with my girl this Monday," I told them.

"Oh, yeah. Bella's awesome. I've met her briefly. See if she wants to play and let us know."

We shook hands and said our goodbyes. The minute I got back to the library, I sent Bella text. She called me a little bit later, and I filled her in on my good news. She was ecstatic. Heck, she even squealed which had me cracking up.

On Sunday we'd had brunch with my folks, and Bella had informed me how hot it was when I was arguing with Jasper about who was cooler, Wolverine or Iron Man. Obviously, it was Iron Man. An idiot would realize that. And on the way home, my sweet girl had asked me to move in with her. I was thrilled. I was going to be living with my girl all the time. We spent the early part of the week, moving most of my stuff in. I'd been appalled at the lack of order on her bookshelves. I quickly fixed that.

By the time Tuesday night rolled around, we were all anxious to hear what Mark had to say. I just hoped he had something good to say. Like, Caius had been caught. I had a feeling that was wishful thinking.

I had just finished rearranging the DVDs by title and genre when the front door opened and Bella came in followed by Jake and Seth.

"How's it going, Little Cullen?" Jake called as he walked into our kitchen, making himself at home.

"I'm doing pretty good all things considered," I told him before turning to Bella. "Bella?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"I've put the movies in alphabetical order by genre. Do not mess it up or there will be heck to pay," I warned her.

She rolled her eyes. She'd purposely put some books away in the wrong place to see what I would do. I was on to her. I'd had to tickle her as punishment. Which had led to some activities between the sheets. That had been fun.

By the time seven arrived, so had everyone along with several large pizzas. Mark stood in the middle of the living room and began to tell us what he'd learned.

"Demitri sang like a bird," Mark began. "Here's what we've learned so far. He met Laurent in New York at a party that Laurent's employers had dragged him to. Within a few days, Laurent was looking for a fix. According to the Denali sisters, whom the New York P.D. have talked to, they had to let Laurent go because he was tweaked all the time and couldn't do his job. After Laurent lost his job, he went to Caius and became a drug runner for him. Not the best of decisions."

"I'll say," Bella muttered.

"Within a month, Laurent was so far in debt to Demitri, that Demitri stopped selling him drugs. Laurent got furious and beat the shit out of Demitri. Demitri, in return, hired a few people to get his money back from Laurent. Long story short, Laurent stole drugs from Caius in order to pay off Demitri. However, Caius believes that Demitri and Laurent were in it together, so Caius ordered a hit on both of them. The minute Demitri got wind of it, he booked it, figuring that if he could find Laurent and bring back the drugs then Caius might let him live."

"Idiot," I mumbled.

"Demitri tracked Laurent back to Forks. He confronted Laurent, asking him where the drugs were, but Laurent refused to say, just telling Demitri that the drugs were hidden in a safe place."

"Why did Laurent come back here?" Bella asked. "He had to have known I wouldn't take him back."

"We're not sure. All we can figure is that he thought you might forgive him or at least give him a place to lay low for a while. Obviously, you didn't so he had to find somewhere else to go. Demitri said that Laurent had been camping out on First Beach.

Meanwhile, Demitri got a call from one of his people telling him that Caius had sent someone out here to get rid of the problem. He thought that Laurent had probably hidden the drugs somewhere on First Beach, but decided to wait until the coast was clear to look for them. A few days later, Demitri learned that Laurent had been murdered and that Caius was furious that his drugs hadn't been recovered."

"And Caius figured that Demitri had them?" I asked.

Mark nodded. "Yep. Demitri was hiding out in Port Angeles, but when he saw Heidi poking around near his motel, he took off to Seattle. He knew that she had been sent down to kill Laurent and then him. One of Demitri's guys said that Caius is furious that Heidi was unable to recover the drugs, and he's on his way here. When he arrives, he's going to realize that we have both Demitri and Heidi if he doesn't know already."

"Fuck, this is bad," Bella said, tugging on her braid.

"Yes, it is. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of man power to spare. That being said, I will have one of my deputies watching you at all times, Bella. Caius knew that Laurent dated you and chances are good he's going to come looking for you."

"Is the F.B.I. involved in this at all?" Dad wanted to know.

Mark nodded. "They are. There are two agents questioning Demitri and Heidi at the moment."

"Well, can't they put Bella in a safe house?"

"At the moment, they don't feel that Caius is a threat to her."

"I don't want to go to safe house," Bella protested. "I'm not going to let some fucking asshole keep me from living my life."

I took her hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. I knew she was scared and angry. I was, too, but if there was a way to get her into a safe house I was darn sure going to make sure she went.

At around nine, everyone left, leaving Bella and myself alone. I was worried that her nightmares were going to come back. Last night had been the first night she hadn't had them, but I had a feeling that Mark's information was going to bring them back in full force.

Unfortunately, I was right. I woke up several times during the night to a screaming, crying Bella. It tore my heart out to see her like that. I wished that there was something I could do to help her, and I told her so.

"Your just being here helps. More than you'll ever know," she told me, curling up against my side.

I held her close, pressing kisses everywhere I could reach. I wanted to make her forget her nightmares, if only for a little while. I gently rolled her over until she was on her stomach, then I straddled her back. I didn't have any lotion nearby, but I could still give her a massage. She was so tense, and I hated seeing her that way.

Before long she was wiggling, moaning, and letting out little breathy, sexy sounds that were driving me crazy. Which was probably her plan. I placed gentle kisses along her spine while trailing my hands up and down her sides. She arched her back, giving me an idea. We'd made love in several different positions, but I'd never had her from behind. The idea had definite appeal. Gently, I hauled her up on her knees, reaching underneath her to palm her breasts.

"Hmmm," she moaned as my hands cupped her.

I cupped, molded, and tugged on those wonderful breasts, enjoying the reactions I was getting out of her. She pressed her delectable behind onto my groin, causing me let out a low moan. I needed her. With one hand still holding a breast, my other traveled down until I found her warm and wet center. Slowly, I dragged my finger through her folds until I found her nub. Gently I began to rub it, enjoying the sounds that she was making. Within moments, Bella was moaning and crying out my name.

"Edward! I need you inside of me," she said, after coming down from her high.

Who was I to say no? Positioning myself, I thrust into her, groaning. I loved the way she felt around me. So warm, and tight, and slick. Oh, I loved the position we were in. Thrusting harder and faster, I reached down and flicked her little nub, causing her to scream out my name.

"God, Bella. I'm so close," I growled against her neck.

"Come for me, Eward," she commanded.

And I did. There was no way I could refuse her.

* * *

><p>By the end of the week, we were both tired and stressed. She was still sleeping poorly as was I, and she felt horrible about it. She even offered to sleep on the couch. There was no way I was letting her do that.<p>

"Sweet girl, you're not sleeping on the couch. I want you here with me," I told her.

"But you're not getting any sleep! If I slept downstairs then you would at least get a decent nights' sleep."

"No, I wouldn't. I would be worrying about you. I'd much prefer you be here with me. If you have a nightmare I can wake you up from it."

Finally, she relented and agreed to stay in our bed.

I was happy to say that I was officially all moved in to our house. _Our _house. I got a little thrill out of saying it each time. I'd honestly never allowed myself to believe that I'd ever have a girlfriend, much less one I had moved in with. Sometimes, it was overwhelming, but in a good way.

Friday night, Jared called me to let me know that he, Paul, and a few other guys were planning a game for Saturday night. He asked if I wanted in and if Bella wanted to join us. I figured it would be a great distraction and take our minds off of things for a bit.

"Hey, sweet girl?" I asked, after I got off the phone with Jared.

"Yeah?"

"Want to go play some D&D tomorrow night?"

The look on her face was comical. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Why? Afraid to get your nerd on?" I teased.

"I've never played before. What if I suck at it?"

I shrugged. "Then you suck at it. Please, please, please," I begged.

She let out a laugh. "Fine. I'll go. But nobody better make fun of me."

If anything, she was going to end up making fun of us. Some people really got into D&D. I enjoyed it, but I didn't let it consume my life.

Heading upstairs to our little office area, I grabbed some of my D&D books off the shelf as well as some character sheets. We both needed to make characters. I walked back down to the living room and handed her a sheet as well as a book.

"What's this?"

"A character sheet. Start filling it out. This book will tell you all you need to know about different races and classes."

We spent the next hour filling out our sheets and coming up with background stories for our characters. I was going to be playing a human ranger named Thane while Bella had decided on playing a half-orc, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why.

"Why a half-orc? I don't think I've been in a group with one," I said.

"Well, then all the more reason to. I feel bad for them. It seems like no one likes them."

"Okay, so what class are you playing?"

"I want to be a barbarian. I want to kick some ass."

And thus Myven, the half-orc barbarian was born. I had a feeling it was going to be an interesting game.

Saturday afternoon, we headed over to Jared's apartment and were introduced to the other players.

"Edward! Bella! Glad you guys could make it," Jared said after letting us in.

He led us over to the kitchen table, and we sat down across from Paul.

"Guys, this is Edward and Bella. Edward and Bella this is Colin and Brady. Brady's our DM."

"What's a DM?" Bella whispered to me.

"Dungeon Master. He's the game organizer and in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure."

"Basically, I'm the guy you don't want to piss off. I have the power to kill your character," Brady said with a grin.

"Ah, gotcha. Don't piss off the DM. See. I'm learning already."

I handed her a bag of dice and watched as she dumped them onto the table.

"Why in the world do I need so many dice?"

"There are different dice for different things. You see that 20-sided one? It's called a D20 and it's your main die. You'll roll that for a lot of your skills or to see if you hit something during a fight. Depending on your weapon, you'll roll either a D6 or D10."

She looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language.

"You'll get it once we start playing."

After we were all seated, Brady quickly explained things to Bella. He explained that our campaign was starting off in the city of GreyHawk. Jared, Colin, and Paul's characters were already in a party together, so Brady quickly introduced our characters to the party. It was explained to us that we could join the party and help stop the city from being overrun by demons.

"This is so nerdy," Bella whispered in my ear.

I snorted. She had no idea how much nerdier it was going to get.

After an hour, introductions between characters had been made, and we were ready to start our quest. Or at least I thought we were. Bella's character had other ideas.

"We need to get going," I told the group, having taken the role of leader.

"We're not going anywhere 'til we formulate a plan," Bella said.

"We can formulate a plan on the road. It's too dangerous for us to stay here," I explained, anxious to get going.

"I'm not going anywhere until we have a plan," she argued. "So, unless you want me to beat your ass, I'd suggest we start planning."

Thirty minutes of arguing and sword to my character's throat later, we had a plan. It wasn't the greatest of plans, but it would have to work. I had no idea that Bella could be so stubborn. Granted, it wasn't Bella so much as her character, and she was doing an amazing job staying true to her character. Half-orcs tended to be short-tempered and sullen and loved to fight.

By the end of the first two hours of playing, Bella had slain three demons and a vagrant who hadn't gotten out of her way quick enough.

"There was no need to kill that man," Colin's character, Rious, said.

"He was in my way," she told him.

"Well thanks to you, the town guard has been alerted."

Bella just shrugged. "Then I guess we'd better get a move on," she said, completely unconcerned.

It was so hot to see her get so into her character.

We ended up playing for well over seven hours before calling it a night. It had been a blast, and we all agreed to pick up the game on Monday night. After we said our goodbyes, we climbed into my car and headed for home.

"Did you have fun tonight?" I asked.

Bella graced me with a beautiful smile. "I really did. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but I totally had a blast. I can't wait to pick up on Monday."

"Bella Swan. D&D player. Bet you never saw that coming."

"I never did. But I can honestly say, I had a lot of fun."

I was immensely glad. It was nice to see her so relaxed after everything.

* * *

><p>Two weeks had passed since Mark had informed us that Caius was looking for the missing drugs. Heidi had refused to say anything, and she'd been extradited back to New York. Bella and I had settled into a nice routine. We gamed on Monday nights, hung out with Jake and Seth on Wednesdays, and spent our weekends either by ourselves or with our family.<p>

Bella's nightmares had slowly subsided, something I was extremely grateful for. It was almost easy to forget that there was danger nearby until it showed up on our doorstep.

I'd headed out to get the mail when I spotted a strange car parked a little bit down the street. I got a tingling feeling on the back of my neck and knew that something wasn't right. We knew most of our neighbors, and I didn't recognize the car at all. I couldn't make out the license plate, but I got the make and model of the car. Heading back inside, I could've sworn that someone was watching me. The second I was inside, I grabbed my phone and called Mark. I gave him the make and model of the car and told him something didn't feel right.

I spotted the car a couple of more times throughout the week. It was never in the same place. I saw once when I was at the library. Another time when I was at the grocery store. I had the feeling that I was being followed. Mark's deputies finally tracked down the vehicle parked near the diner. There was no one in it, but Mark had impounded.

"Hey, Edward. It's Mark," he said once I'd answered my phone.

"Hey, Mark."

"Turns out that our mystery car was reported stolen outside of Portland two days ago. We dusted the car for prints and they came back to two guys who work for Caius."

"Fuck," I whispered.

"My feelings as well. My deputy, Jason, is watching your house. He hasn't reported anything out of the ordinary, but he'll let me know if he sees anything strange. Unfortunately, the men are in the wind, but we will catch them."

I couldn't exactly say that I was reassured.

I woke up later that night to the sound of something hitting the floor. At first I thought that Bella had gotten up and knocked something off the bedside table, but when I rolled over she was lying there. Maybe, it was my imagination.

I sat up, listening to see if I could hear anything. When I didn't I crept over to the window and pulled the curtain away from it. Jason's car was still parked outside our house. I highly doubted anyone would get in without him seeing them, plus we had an alarm system. I was about to climb back under the covers when I heard one of the steps on the stair creak.

Quickly, I turned to wake Bella up, but I found her sitting up with the covers clutched to her chest. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Oh, my God! Someone's in the house!" Bella whispered.

We haphazardly threw clothes on, and then she tossed me her phone as she quietly got up and locked our bedroom door. While she was doing that, I called Mark, my hands trembling so bad I could barely push the buttons.

"Hunter," he said.

"Mark, it's Edward. Someone's in the house. They broke something downstairs, and we heard them coming up the stairs. What are we going to do?" I asked as quietly as possible while trying not to freak out.

"I need you to stay calm, Edward. Is the alarm going off?" Mark asked me.

"No," I whispered as loud as I dared. "But we're trapped! How are we going to get out of here?"

"Breath, Edward. I've got a call out to Jason as we speak, and I'm on my way."

"What if they come up here?" I asked, terrified that someone was going to hurt my Bella.

"Lock yourself in the bathroom."

So, that's what we did. As quietly as possible we snuck into the bathroom, locked the door, and huddled in the tub together. Both of us were shaking like there was no tomorrow, and it only got worse when we heard someone rattling the doorknob to the bedroom.

"Fuck. It's locked," we heard a guy say.

"Fucking break it," another guy snarled back.

We had Mark on the phone the whole time, and I told him that it sounded like there were two guys trying to get in.

"Fuck! I can't get a hold of Jason. Just hang in there. I'm on my way," he said before his phone cut out.

I knew it was only a matter of moments before they broke in the bedroom door and then the bathroom door. There was a window beside the tub that we could climb out of, but I had no idea how we would get down. Bella must have been having the same thoughts that I was, because she climbed out of the tub and quietly opened the window.

Standing behind her, I helped her remove the screen which I gently set on the floor. We had to be as quiet as possible. Shaking, she turned to face me.

"I love you!" she said fiercely.

"I love you, too! We're going to be fine. We just need to stay calm."

Which of course was easier said than done. I watched as she grasped the edge of the window with trembling hands. She lowered herself through it, and I watched with baited breath as she dropped onto the lower portion of the roof that was underneath it. Once she was safe, I started to climb out the window. I was halfway out when I heard the bedroom door slam open.

"Where the fuck are they?" I heard one of the men growl.

Quickly, I scrambled down onto the roof. Grabbing Bella's hand, we followed the roof until it dropped off. We were going to have to jump. Bella crawled to the edge of the roof and slowly lowered herself down until she was hanging from her fingertips. The drop didn't look too awfully bad, and I prayed that she would land safely. She let go and landed in the backyard on wobbly legs. I followed suit. Once we were on the ground, we clasped hands and began running toward the neighbor's house.

We had almost reached the neighbor's house when we heard sirens ring out. We watched as two cruisers pulled up to our house, sirens wailing and lights flashing. We stayed where we were, hidden in the shadows of a large evergreen, waiting until the coast was clear. We didn't want to alert the bad guys of where we were.

We watched as one of the deputies ran toward Jason's car, while the others entered our house. Minutes passed by and then a shot rang out through the night. We both jumped, the noise startling us.

"Oh, God," I whispered.

Bella clenched my hand even tighter, and I knew she was praying that none of our people had gotten hurt. Ten minutes went by before Mark and several deputies came out of the house with two men. One of whom was bleeding. We heard Mark radio for an ambulance after he shoved one of the handcuffed men into the back of his cruiser.

Feeling that it was safe to step out from our hiding spot, we headed toward Mark. The look on his face was pure relief. I'm sure the look on our faces was much the same.

"Oh, thank God," he said as we approached him. "I was afraid that they'd killed you and hidden your bodies."

"We climbed out the bathroom window," Bella told him, her small hand trembling in mine.

"Is Jason okay?" I asked, seeing one of Mark's deputies hovering around Jason's car.

"One of the guys pistol whipped him. He might need stitches, but he should be okay. He feels awful."

Bella frowned. "It's not his fault. He didn't send those guys after us."

"I agree, but he feels he let everyone down. He was supposed to be watching your house to protect you and instead, he gets knocked out."

The next half hour passed in a blur. Jason was taken to the hospital as was one of the bad guys. Bella and I were separated and asked a million questions; the cops probably wanted to make sure that our stories were the same. During our questioning, the police had taken over our house. Yellow crime tape was put up, and guys with kits were stomping around inside. There was no way we were going to be allowed back in the house for a while, and honestly, I didn't really want to go back in there at the moment.

"Do you have somewhere you can stay for a few days?" Marks asked me, drawing my attention back to him.

"Yes. We can stay with my folks."

"Good. I'll keep you and Bella updated about what we learn. I'm going to follow you to your parents' house just to make sure you get there okay."

I thanked him and went to collect Bella. One of the deputies came out and gave us the keys to my car, and we climbed in. The drive to my parents' house was silent. I think we were both lost in thought. We pulled into the drive and waved as Mark drove past. We climbed out of the car, and it was only when we were halfway up the walk that I realized that I hadn't called my folks to let them know we were coming over.

I didn't want to unlock the door and scare them into thinking there was an intruder, so I rang the doorbell. A few minutes later, Mom opened the door.

"Edward! Bella! What's wrong?" Mom asked as she let us in, her gaze searching our faces and seeing signs of obvious distress.

"Two guys broke into our house," I told her.

Mom let out a gasp before wrapping us up in bone-crushing hugs.

"Are you two okay?" Dad asked from behind Mom.

"Yes, we're okay. Shook up and scared, but fine."

"Don't forget pissed off. Because I'm extremely pissed the fuck off that someone broke into my home yet again," Bella growled.

Mom led us to the kitchen and put on a kettle of water for some tea. As we sat down, I let out a snicker as I got a good look at my Dad. He was wearing a hot pink robe that I was pretty sure belonged to Mom. Or at least I hoped it did.

"Nice robe," I smirked.

"What?" he said, then looked down.

His face turned bright red, and then he turned to Esme.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Mom put her hands on her hips and leveled him with a glare. "Because, Carlisle, I was more worried about our children than who's robe you put on."

Dad mumbled something than headed upstairs, presumably to change robes. A few minutes later, Dad came back down with Emmett in tow.

"What' happened?" he asked, worry clear in his voice.

Over the next thirty minutes, Bella and I explained everything that had happened. By the time we were done, we were emotionally drained and more than a few tears had been shed by both of us.

Mom had a death grip on Bella's hand, while Dad had flung an arm around my shoulders.

"I'm just thankful that the two of you got out," Dad said.

"For a moment, I didn't think we would," I told him quietly. "When I heard them start to break down the bedroom door, I thought for sure it was all over."

Dad gave my shoulders another squeeze, and I could see the relief in his eyes that neither one of us was hurt.

"Is it okay if we stay with you guys for a while?" I asked.

Mom turned her gaze to me. "Of course. You never have to ask."

"Maybe we should check into a hotel. I don't want to bring danger to your doorstep," Bella said.

Mom cupped Bella's face in her hands. "You're staying here. Don't even think about leaving!"

Bella nodded. She knew better than to argue with my mom.

After a few more hugs and tears, I led Bella up to my old room. I opened the door and grimaced when I saw the dorky posters still on the wall. I thought Mom had taken those down, but apparently she hadn't. My room looked the same that it had when I'd lived there during college. There was a queen size bed, a dresser, a desk covered in books and junk, an overflowing bookshelf, and my dorky literature posters.

"How is it that I've never seen this room?" Bella asked as we stepped over the threshold.

"Probably because I was too embarrassed to show you."

"Why? It's totally you."

Soon we were stripped of our clothing and cuddled in my old bed. As we were lying there, wrapped around each other, all of my fears came to the surface and tears started to fall despite my effort to contain them.

Bella didn't say a word, just held me tighter as sobs wracked my body. I could have lost her tonight. Eventually, my sobs subsided, and I was left feeling exhausted. Resting my head against her chest, I let the sound of her heartbeat lull me to sleep.

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><p>an: Uh, yeah. So ... there you go. I certainly didn't plan on half of that happening, and I almost ended the chapter with them locked in the bathroom. But, then I thought that would be a bit mean of me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm off to go see _The Woman in Black. _The spousal unit actually offered to take me despite the fact that he has no desire to see it. Makes me wonder what he wants. Anyway, you know what to do! Leave me some love. Please, please, please!


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Twilight = not mine

A/N: Thank you all so very much for the reviews. I can't tell you enough, how grateful I am to you for taking the time to review. This chapter gave me a bit of trouble. I struggled and struggled, and rewrote this chapter a gabillion times. Okay, so maybe I rewrote it once or twice. Make that three times. *sigh* I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but it's not as bad as it was.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"The universality of tattooing is a curious subject for speculation." ~James Cook**

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><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

Lying in Edward's old bed that night, I couldn't help but think about everything that had just happened. I had known that Caius was dangerous, but I hadn't realized how dangerous. The fact that he sent two men to break into our house and do God knows what to us really solidified the fact that we were dealing with an extremely dangerous man. Just thinking about what could've happened to the two of us was enough to make my blood run cold.

I looked down at the bronze hair that was lying against my chest and let out a little sigh. Gently, I ran my fingers through his hair, so very grateful that nothing bad had happened to him. I knew for a fact that I couldn't live without him. I wouldn't even want to try. He was my everything. After Caius was caught, and I prayed to every God out there that he was, I was going to ask Edward to marry me. I never wanted to spend a single day without him by my side, and I was positive that he felt the same.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft and sleepy.

"Not really," I told him.

He lifted his head off my chest and pulled me to him. Wrapped safely in his arms, it was my turn to let the dam break. Tears that I hadn't realized I'd been holding back, came spilling out. I have no idea how long I cried, but I felt exhausted afterwards.

"We'll get through this," he told me, and I knew we would.

I was just afraid that we wouldn't get through it without someone getting seriously hurt. Poor Jason had to go get fourteen stitches in his head because he was watching out for us. It could have been worse. They could've killed him and that was a terrifying thought.

I didn't sleep worth shit that night. Edward had managed to doze off, but I couldn't stop thinking. I wanted Caius gone. I wanted to go back to my life the way it was before. I began to think that maybe I should use myself as bait. That's what they did in the movies, right? Used someone as bait to capture the bad guy. I didn't want to be bait, but if it meant catching Caius quicker, then I was willing. Making up my mind, I decided to discuss it with Mark next time I talked to him.

At around five, I gave up any pretenses of sleeping and slipped out of bed. Throwing some old clothes of Edward's on, I headed downstairs. I was heading to the kitchen for a cup of tea when I heard soft voices coming from the living room.

"I'm so worried, Carlisle," I heard Esme say.

Peeking around the corner, I saw Esme curled up in Carlisle's lap on the couch. Her head was tucked against his shoulder, and he had his arms wrapped around her. It was a beautiful and sweet sight. Not wanting to interrupt them, I tiptoed into the kitchen and began to make some tea. A few minutes later, Esme came in.

"Bella, dear. What in the world are you doing up at this hour?"

"Couldn't sleep," I told her.

She gave me a warm hug before shooing me over to the table. We made small talk as she cooked and before long the scent of bacon and eggs was in the air. I dug in when she put a plate in front of me, not realizing how hungry I was. I was halfway through my breakfast, when a warm kiss was placed up on my head. I'd been so focused on my food that I hadn't noticed Edward come in.

"Hey, sweet girl. I was wondering where you went."

"Sorry. I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to wake you up," I told him before kissing him lightly.

"I didn't like waking up without you," he whispered in my ear.

After breakfast, I called Jake and Seth and let them know everything that happened. I told them that I wasn't feeling up for coming into work.

"Of course you don't. Even if you showed up, I'd just send you back home," Jake told me. "Take the day off to spend with your family."

I truly had the best bosses and friends in the world. Edward and Emmett took the day off as well. The three of us spent the day just hanging out. Emmett attempted to keep my mind occupied by forcing me to play video games with him. I was horrible at them, but not nearly as bad as Edward.

"Seriously, Edward? Seriously? That's like, the tenth time you've killed one of your own guys. How in the world can you be so bad at this?" Emmett questioned.

Edward gave Emmett a scowl. "You know I hate shooting games. Why the heck do you insist I play them?"

"Dude, they're awesome!"

Edward tossed the controller on the floor, crossed his arms, and refused to play anymore. It was sort of funny to see him acting all put out and childish.

"I can think of something that's way more fun than playing video games," I whispered in his ear.

A blush rose up on his cheeks before he flashed me a sexy grin.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

To Emmett's surprise and laughter, Edward hauled me up and tossed me over his shoulder before climbing the stairs.

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><p>At around six, Esme knocked on our door and asked if we wanted to come down for dinner. Edward groaned, knowing that we were going to have to face his family after having spent a majority of our day in bed.<p>

"Emmett's going to embarrass me. I know it," he grumbled as we climbed out of bed and headed toward the shower.

"Of course he will. That's what Emmett does. Just ignore him. Or fight back," I told him, handing him the shampoo.

After our shower, which had turned into a quickie, we got dressed and headed downstairs. Emmett was waiting for us at the bottom.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to come out of their room. Did you have fun?"

I grinned at him. "Most definitely."

Edward just smiled and shook his head at Emmett before following him into the kitchen. It seemed that Alice and Jasper had decided to join us for dinner. Once dinner was over, we were all sprawled around the living room listening to music and relaxing. It was nice to forget the outside world for a while. However, my bliss was interrupted when Mark knocked on the door.

"Hey, gang," he said as he came into the living room with Carlisle behind him.

Instantly, I sat up and grabbed Edward's hand. Mark's eyes were tired and he looked haggard. He took a seat on the couch next to Edward and I.

"I'm here because we've learned some things from the two men who broke into your house. Their names are James Victor and Eric Yorkie. As I'm sure you've figured out by now, they work for Caius. He sent them here to find the drugs and to do whatever was necessary to get them back."

I swallowed the lump of fear that was in my throat and gripped Edward's hand tighter. His thumb rubbed over the top of my hand in an attempt to soothe me. Surprisingly, it helped.

"Caius truly believes that you have the drugs. I know that you would never willingly hide drugs for anyone. Could it be that Laurent hid the drugs in your house after it was broken into the first time?"

"I—I guess so. I never even considered that."

"Would you be willing to let us go in with a drug dog and search the place?"

"Of course. If there are drugs in our house, I certainly don't want them in there."

"Thank you. We'll get that setup for later this week. Yorkie informed us that Caius is expecting a call from him tomorrow night. We're going to trace the call and see if we can't pinpoint a location for Caius. Yorkie claims that he doesn't know for sure where Caius is, but he thinks that he's in the Seattle area."

I couldn't hold back the shiver that came over me.

"We'll catch him, Bella. I swear to it."

I believed him. Before Mark left I pulled him aside. I wanted to talk to him about my idea.

"Mark, I was thinking—what if I offered myself up as bait?"

"What? No! I refuse to let you do that!" Edward said from behind me.

I hadn't realized that he was there. I knew that he wouldn't think too highly of my idea which was why I hadn't said anything to him.

"Bella," Mark said. "I'm with Edward on this. I won't let you use yourself as bait. It might work in the movies or on TV, but I'm not about to risk the life of a civilian. Understood?" he asked sternly.

I nodded. It probably was a stupid idea. Mark excused himself to go talk to Carlisle and left me to face Edward's wrath. Edward was furious. There was no other word for it. His face was red, his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes were spitting fire. Okay, not really. But it felt like it. I was ashamed at myself for not having talked my stupid idea over with him.

He unfolded his arms and pointed toward the stairs. Meekly, I started trudging up to our room. I really wasn't looking forward to our conversation. Once in the room, he shut the door and locked before turning to face me.

"Bait? You were going to offer yourself up as bait?" he shouted.

I cringed. I'd never seen Edward that upset, and it upset me to know that I was the one that had caused it.

"It was a stupid idea," I said quietly.

Edward began pacing around the room like a caged tiger.

"You have no idea. How in the world could you think that I would be okay with something like that?"

"Uh ... I didn't really think it through."

"No? Really? Obviously, not. If you had been thinking, you wouldn't have thought about doing something so ... so stupid!"

He stopped pacing and sat down in his desk chair, hunched over, hands in his hair.

"I cannot believe that you would offer yourself up for bait. What if something went wrong? What if you were hurt? Or worse, killed? What then, Bella? I couldn't survive if something happened to you."

Tears were falling freely from my eyes. He was right. I sat down on the edge of the bed and try to wipe the tears away, but they kept falling.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I mumbled.

He let out a heavy sigh. "I know you are, sweet girl. Come here."

Immediately, I was cuddled on his lap, presses being kissed to my hair.

"No more stupid ideas. Or if you have one, at least let me know. Please," he begged.

"I promise," I told him.

There was a knock on the door a few moments later.

"Everything okay?" we heard Carlisle ask from behind the closed door.

I got up, wiping my eyes, and opened the door. I gave him a wobbly smile.

"Yeah. Things are okay."

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><p>Jake and Seth made me stay home for the remainder of the week, which was only two days, but still. Thankfully, I had some customized sketches to do, and the boys were paying me to do them. Edward had gone back to work to help train the new person who was replacing him. He would start at the comic book store, Wolf Men Comics, on Monday, and he was super excited. When asked why Jared and Paul named it Wolf Men Comics, they explained that legend had it, the Quileutes descended from wolves. Hence, Wolf Men Comics. I thought it was cool.<p>

I was propped up on our bed finishing up a sketch that I had started, when Edward came home.

"What's that?" he asked after he climbed onto our bed.

"Oh, a sketch that I'm doing for one of my customers. She wants a customized tattoo."

"I really like it," he said.

"Thanks. I've put a good bit of work into it. I just hope that my client likes it."

"How could they not? It's gorgeous and you're so talented," he said, leaning down to plant a kiss on my lips.

I felt my heart swell. He was so freaking sweet. I returned the kiss and was really getting into it when a throat clearing in the doorway interrupted us.

"Hey, kiddos! Am I interrupting?" Emmett asked as he threw himself down on our bed.

"Yes," Edward growled against my lips.

Holy fuck, I loved it when that man growled. It was so fucking sexy and made me want to do nothing more than throw him down on the bed and ravish him. Only problem with that, was that our bed was currently occupied by a giant pain-in-the ass brother.

"Emmett?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Was there something you wanted?" I asked, peering over Edward's shoulder.

"Not really," he said, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Are you planning on leaving us alone any time soon?"

"Why? You and Eddie want to get your groove on?" he asked, thrusting his hips in the air.

_Oh, God._ I didn't need to see that.

Edward had buried his face in my neck and was muttering about how he was going to slowly and painfully kill Emmett. I'd gladly help. Finally, Edward turned around to face Emmett who was lying on the bed grinning.

"Leave!" he barked at him.

Emmett made no move to leave, just got himself more comfortable, snuggling up to my pillow. Edward's face was turning red and his eyes were filled with annoyance and a hint of anger.

"Nah. I think I'll stay for a bit," Emmett said, goading him.

I let out a sigh. I had a feeling things were about to get ugly.

"Emmett. Get the fuck out of my room!"

_Whoa!_ Edward said fuck. Emmett's eyes widened a bit, but he still made no move to leave.

"Why?" Emmett asked yet again.

"Because I want to fuck my girlfriend!" he roared.

_Oh, holy fuck!_ If I hadn't been turned on before, I sure was then.

"That's all you had to say, little bro," Emmett said with a grin, getting up and heading toward the door.

"Emmett?" I called out before he closed the door.

He turned to look at me.

"There's nothing little about your brother," I said with a smirk.

Emmett gave me a smirk back. "Of course there isn't. He's a Cullen."

I locked the door once Emmett closed it and turned to face Edward. His bright green eyes were smoldering and he had a sexy smile on his face. He motioned for me to come to him, which I gladly did.

Sauntering toward him, I climbed onto our bed and sitting on my knees, leaned up to kiss my man. He cupped my face in his hand before planting a long, hot, wet kiss on me. Within moments I was hotter than hell and desperate for air. Edward broke the kiss, only to start planting kisses along my neck while tugging my shirt up. Once my shirt and bra were gone, he tugged on my pants. I helped him remove them, then watched as he stripped out of his clothes. I let out a sigh. He was beautiful.

"So …" I began. "How do you want me?"

He gave me a cocky grin, but didn't answer me. Instead, he tugged me closer to the edge of the bed and began to run his hands down my sides. I stifled a laugh as his fingers pressed into the soft skin along my ribs, tickling me.

"No tickling," I told him.

Again, he gave me a cocky smirk before gliding his hands up my ribcage toward my breasts. His thumbs slid over my nipples, rubbing them gently causing moans to fall from my lips and my head to fall back. All too soon, his hands left my breasts and came to rest upon my shoulders. Gently, he pushed me down until I was lying on my back on the bed. His warm hands trailed down my shoulders, over my breasts and stomach to my knees. Holding my knees, he began to push them apart, and I gladly let him. I watched as he lowered his head to take a nipple into his mouth. I loved when he sucked on them, but all too soon he left my nipple and began to press kisses down my stomach.

Finally, he made his way to the junction between my thighs. He breathed softly on my center and sent shivers through me. I was so fucking turned on. _ S_lowly, almost too slowly, his tongue began to drag along my slit. I felt my eyes roll back in my head. He was so fucking good at that.

His hands slid under my hips to hold me in place as he continued his ministrations. My own hands slid over my breasts, squeezing and plucking my nipples, before making their way into his hair. His tongue danced over me, flicking lightly before sliding inside and thrusting gently.

My hips began to rock against his face as I held him tighter to me. I was so fucking close to loosing it.

"So close," I panted out.

He hummed against me, causing my hips to buck again. My man knew exactly what he was doing to me. One more thrust of his tongue inside me and a gentle nibble to my clit had me flying apart.

When I finally came down from my high, I found Edward hovering over me, a pleased look on his face. I drew him down for a kiss, not caring that I could taste myself on his lips.

I reached down and wrapped my hand around his cock, stroking it a few times. A low moan graced his lips as his hips thrust into my hand.

"I can't wait, sweet girl," he whispered against my lips.

"Take me. Fuck me."

His eyes darkened, and he let out a growl. His hands came down to grip my hips before he slammed inside of me. We both let out moans of pleasure as he withdrew and did it again and again.

"Oh, fuck ... that feels so good ..." I groaned as he continued to pound into me.

One of his hands let go of my hip and reached down to rub my clit. The combination of his fingers and his cock caused me to explode once more. I was a mass of pleasure. Edward braced both arms over me and began to thrust erratically. His arms quivered and let out a shout as he came before collapsing on me.

I managed to wrap my arms around his shoulders, but that was about it. My body felt like liquid, and I hoped I wouldn't have to move anytime soon. Slowly, Edward rolled off of me, and tugged me into his side.

"I love you," he said, his voice soft and sexy in my ear.

"I love you, too."

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><p>On Saturday, Edward, Emmett, and I were hanging around the house with nothing to do. Esme and Carlisle had gone into Port Angeles for a day of antique shopping. Esme had been super excited about it. Poor Carlisle, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to shoot himself.<p>

"Dad hates antique shopping," Edward told me. "He swears Mom drags him along because she knows how much he hates it."

I snickered. "Of course that's why she does it. Why doesn't he just tell her he doesn't want to go?"

Emmett and Edward both barked out laughs.

"He tried that once. It didn't go over so well. Mom told him that if he didn't want to go antique shopping with her, than she didn't want to cook his dinner," Emmett told me.

After a few rounds of poker, which Edward lost spectacularly at, we decided to watch some movies. We had just gotten comfortable on the couches when the doorbell rang. I refused to get up to get it, so Edward and Emmett rock, paper, scissored it out. Emmett lost.

A few moments later we heard Emmett.

"What do you want?"

Edward and I looked at each other. I think we both knew who was at the door. The voice we heard confirmed our suspicions.

"I wanted to talk to you," we heard Rosalie say.

Edward and I got up and went to the foyer. Rosalie was standing on the porch, while Emmett stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I think we've said everything we need to say to each other," he told her.

Rosalie spotted me behind Emmett and narrowed her eyes. Oh, I hoped that she tried something. I was itching to hit the bitch.

"You!" she spat out, glaring at me. "This is all your fucking fault!"

"What are you babbling about?" I asked, glaring right back at her.

"Everything was fine until _you_ came along. You've got this whole fucking family under your spell!" she seethed.

I opened my mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance. Emmett beat me to it.

"We had problems long before Bella came along. She just helped open my eyes to them. I was content to ignore your bitchiness because of my love for you. But once Bella came along, you showed yourself for what you truly are. We're done, Rose. Unless you can truly change and prove that you've changed."

Rosalie stood there with a shocked look on her face. I think she thought she'd be able to come over and persuade Emmett to take her back. I was glad to see that he was standing strong.

"So unless you've come to apologize you need to leave," Emmett told her.

Snarling, she stomped off the porch to her car. The minute she was gone, Emmett shut the door and leaned back against it. There was so much sadness and pain in his eyes that I couldn't help but lean over and give him a hug.

"Thanks, sis."

"You going to be okay?" Edward asked.

Emmett nodded. "It hurts, but I know that our separation is for the best."

I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain I would feel if Edward and I were to split up. Deciding I didn't want to think about that, we headed down to the den to try and cheer Emmett up with some video games. It seemed to work considering he kicked our asses.

Later that night, I went looking for Esme and found her reading a book in the solarium.

"Hey, Esme? Do you have a moment?"

"Of course, Bella."

I sat down and handed her my sketch pad. "What do you think?" I asked as she stared intently at the design.

"It's beautiful. I love the colors and the flow of the flowers."

I smiled, glad that she liked it. Esme had stopped by the shop on Monday and surprised me. I had been in the back room on my break, texting Edward, when Seth told me I had a visitor. I walked out and saw Esme waiting for me. I'd been thrilled to see her. I always was. She was like the mother that Renee never was

"Esme," I'd said, after returning her hug, "what brings you by?"

"I want to get a tattoo," she'd said, shocking the hell out of me.

"Really? That's awesome! Do you have something in mind?"

We'd sat and discussed what she'd wanted. She'd seen the hibiscus flowers that I had and wanted something similar, but with different flowers. I got to thinking about what Mark had said about flowers having meanings. Doing a little research, I found several flowers that I felt best described Esme. The jasmine meant grace and elegance which I thought described Esme dead on. But I wanted the design to have more than one kind of flower. I kept looking and found that the gladiolus meant strong character, the ranunculus meant radiant, and the orchid meant delicate beauty.

"This is just perfect, Bella. Where do you think I should put it?" she asked.

"Honestly," I told her. "I think either your shoulder or on your back below your shoulder. It's up to you though."

"I think I'd like it on my shoulder. When can we do it?"

"When can you do what?" Edward asked as he passed by.

"Nothing," we called out.

Not believing us, he walked into the room.

"Is that your sketch?" he asked, seeing the sketchbook in my hand.

I couldn't lie to him, so I nodded.

"I'm getting a tattoo," Esme told him. "But don't you dare breath a word of this to anyone. I want to surprise your father."

Edward's face broke out in a silly grin. "Bella will have us all tattooed before we know it."

"Oh, hush. She came to me, not the other way around," I told him, swatting him with my sketchbook.

"All you need to do is tattoo Dad, then you will have tattooed the whole family," Edward said with a grin.

Little did he know that I had plans to tattoo Carlisle next week. Carlisle had approached me a few days ago and asked if I could tattoo him. He'd handed me a copy of the Cullen family crest and told me he wanted it tattooed on his upper arm. I'd finished my drawing of it, and I was positive he would be pleased with what he saw. Carlisle, like Esme, had asked me to keep it a secret and so I would.

Monday morning, Edward and I carpooled for the first time, to our jobs. He was super excited, but a tad bit nervous.

"I have no idea what to do. What if I screw things up?" he asked me as I drove us into to Port Angeles.

"You'll be just fine," I said, reaching over to squeeze his hand.

We pulled up in back of Wolf Men Comics and got out. Edward kept running his fingers through his hair, making it stick out in all directions. The back door opened, and we were greeted by Jared.

"Hey, you two! Come check out the place," he called to us.

We walked in the back and after Edward put his stuff away, we were given a tour of the building. It was a bit on the small side, but the they had used the space well. There were posters of superheroes on the walls, TV showing different movies, and rows upon rows of comic books. It was nerd heaven. It really was. There was a long counter with two cash registers and several locked cases holding super special comic book hero collectibles or something like that. Standing in the middle of the room in his Iron Man shirt, it was obvious that Edward was meant to be there.

Taking a glance at the clock on the wall, I realized I had to get going. I walked over to Edward, planted one on him, and told him I'd meet him for lunch.

"Love you. Have a great day," I told him, ignoring the smoochy noises that Jared and Paul were making.

"Love you, too," Edward told me, taking one last kiss.

Waving goodbye, I got in the car and headed to Eclipse. I walked in the door and found Seth waiting for me.

"What? I'm on time."

He flashed me a grin. "Edward get off to work okay?"

"Yes."

"Well, c'mon. We've got a busy day. Lots of appointments. And several of them requested you."

I was a bit surprised, but got to work. A few of my appointments were from people who had seen my work at the expo months ago, and I was thrilled that they wanted me to tattoo them. I was so busy that I almost lost track of time. Before I knew it, it was time to meet Edward for lunch. I couldn't wait to hear how his morning had gone. I headed out the back and walked toward the Volvo. Edward had insisted that we take his car, what with all of it's safety features and whatnot. I had tried to argue, and I'm pretty sure I called him a stupid shiny Volvo driver, but he refused to go anywhere in my truck. Finally, I'd relented. It was that or be late, and I couldn't have him show up to his first day of work late.

I had just fished the keys out of my bag when I heard footsteps behind me. Thinking it was Seth, I turned around and found myself face to face with the man in my nightmares.

"Isabella Swan. Such an honor to finally meet you," he said.

Just as I opened my mouth to scream, a horrible pain exploded in the back of my head and everything went black.

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><p>an: Perhaps this chapter wasn't as awful as I thought. We got some sexy times, got some info, a bit of drama. Let me know how I did!


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I'm fairly certain it will never be mine.

A/N: Surprise! It's an early update! I won't draw this author's note out too much. I'm sure you're all anxious to find out what happens next. Or at least I hope you are. So to make this AN nice and short, I'll just say thank you. Thank you for reading and reviewing. It's greatly appreciated.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"A tattoo is a true poetic creation, and is always more than meets the eye. As a tattoo is grounded on living skin, so its essence emotes a poignancy unique to the mortal human condition." ~V. Vale and Andrea Juno**

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><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked it for the sixth time, thinking that I'd some how silenced it and missed a call from Bella. I hadn't. It was thirteen minutes past noon, and she hadn't arrived yet. It wasn't like her to be late and if she was, she always called to let me know. I dialed her number again, and again I got no answer. Something was wrong. I was positive about it.

"Did your girl stand you up?" Jared asked, coming out back for a quick smoke.

"Something's wrong," I told him. "She's never late and if she is, she calls."

"Did you try calling her?" he asked.

I gave him a look. "Of course. She's not answering, which isn't like her."

"Maybe she got busy and forgot. Why don't you call Jake or Seth?"

That was a great idea. Pulling my phone back out of my pocket, I dialed the number to the shop. Seth answered on the third ring.

"Eclipse. This is Seth."

"Hey, Seth. It's Edward. Is Bella around?"

"No. She left at noon to get you."

"She isn't here, and she's not answering her phone. I'm starting to freak out."

"Stay calm. I'll check out back and see if her car is still here."

"Thanks."

The next three minutes were grueling. Finally, he came back on the line, and he sounded panicked.

"She's not here! Her car is here, and I found her phone lying on the ground."

I couldn't think, all I could do was feel. And I felt a horrible, blinding panic take over. I must have started to hyperventilate because Jared shoved me down on a crate and pushed my head between my knees after grabbing my phone from me. Jared and Seth talked for a few minutes before Jared handed me the phone back.

"Edward! Edward, man! You need to breath. Seth is calling the police. Get your shit together. I'll drive you over to Eclipse," Jared told me.

I barely heard him. All I could think about was the fact that my Bella was missing. Someone had taken her. Taking a deep breath, I knew that I had to get it together. It wouldn't do Bella any good if I broke down. I needed to be strong for her. Taking a few more breaths, I stood up and followed Jared to his car.

Within minutes, we were pulling up in front of Eclipse. Before the car was completely parked, I was out and running inside the building. Jake and Seth were talking to a couple of police officers.

"Edward," Seth said, looking miserable. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even think to walk her out to her car. This is all my fault."

I shook my head at him. "It's not your fault, Seth."

I was informed by one of the police officers, that Mark was on his way down. I sat down on the couch in the waiting area and waited for someone to tell me something. Ten minutes passed before two officers came in from the back. They said something to the guy in charge, who then walked over to me.

"Mr. Cullen?"

I looked up. "Yes?"

"Can you come with us for a moment?"

Standing up on wobbly legs, I followed him outside. Bella's car door was open, her bag and phone on the ground, and the gravel near her car had been disturbed. It was obvious that something had happened.

"Does this mean anything to you?" the officer asked me, pointing to the ground.

Peering closer, it looked like someone had drawn the letter C in the gravel with the the toe of their shoe.

My breath hitched. Bella had tried to tell us who had taken her.

"Caius. Alec Caius. He's after her. Thinks that she has drugs that her ex-boyfriend stole from him. Surely, you know all of that."

He nodded.

I couldn't understand why he was just standing there. Alec Caius had the love of my life, and he was just standing there nodding.

"Why are we standing here?" I shouted. "We need to find her!"

He put a hand on my shoulder. "Son, you need to calm down. We're doing what we can."

I was seething. How dare he stand there and claim that they were doing what they could! They weren't do anything! I jerked away from his hand and yanked out my phone. I called my dad, knowing he would want to know what was going on.

"Dad?"

"Edward. What's wrong?"

It all came out. I told him how I was positive that Caius had Bella and that it seemed like knowing was doing anything to try and find her. By the time, I was done talking to him, I had tears streaming down my face. I wouldn't be able to live without her. She was my everything. My love, my life, my light. I had to get her back.

"Edward?"

I turned around and found myself face to face with Mark. He placed his hands on my shoulder and looked me square in the eye.

"We will find her. I promise you."

"But no one is doing anything!" I growled. "Everyone is just standing around. He could be hurting her, Mark!"

He gave my shoulders a squeeze. "You need to calm down, Edward. I assure you, we are doing everything we can to find her. We have to gather the facts and try and determine where he took her. We can't just run off without having a clue as to where to look for her."

I guess that made sense. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself.

"Would he have taken her back to our house?" I asked.

"Possibly. However, I can say for certain that the drugs aren't in your house. We searched and came up empty, so God only knows where Laurent stashed them. As soon as everyone gets here, we will begin our search."

I nodded. I hated feeling so helpless and useless. Jake, Seth, and Jared all gathered around me, trying to offer words of encouragement. They meant well, but it wasn't helping.

Twenty minutes later, Eclipse was filled to capacity with police officers. Mark stood in front of them and let them know what the plan was. I was glad to hear that they actually had a plan.

"Alec Caius is armed and dangerous. He believes that Bella Swan, the woman he abducted, knows where his stolen drugs are. We have compiled a list of places that he may have taken her, gathered from what we've learned about it from his accomplices. We'll be breaking into teams.

Team One will head to Bella Swan's house in Forks. It's possible that Caius believes that the drugs are hidden there. Team Two will head to the old fish warehouse. Demitri believed that Caius was going to use it as a hideout while he was in town. Team Three will search the woods and beaches."

He stopped for a moment to look at a piece of paper that an officer handed him.

"A dark blue Crown Victoria was spotted heading toward La Push driven by a man matching Caius' description. Team Four, consisting of myself, will take the La Push lead. Let's go, people!"

It was a flurry of activity as men and women readied their weapons, put on flak jackets, and grouped up. Standing up, I made my way toward Mark.

"What should I do?"

Mark looked up from fastening his flak jacket.

"I need you to stay here and stay out of the way."

He couldn't be serious? Did he really expect me to stand by and do nothing? We were talking about Bella's life here!

"No! I have to do something!" I shouted at him.

"Listen to me, Edward. I know you want to help, but the best way to help is to stay here with your family and friends. I can't have you out there with us. It's too much of a risk. I don't want to have to be worrying about you, because if I'm too busy worrying about you, then I won't be focusing on getting Bella back. Do you understand?"

I nodded even though it killed me. Mark knew I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Bella's safety.

"Good. It could be that Bella has managed to get away and will find a way to call you. If she does, we need you here to answer the call. Officers Jefferson and Purell will be staying behind with you all. If you hear from Bella you call me immediately."

I promised that I would. I watched as Mark and his team left the building, and I sat down on the couch. My heart and head heavy. My family had shown up a little before Mark began barking out orders, and Mom was quick to come over and wrap me up in a hug. I held on to her and did my best not to breakdown.

The waiting was excruciating. Every time someone's phone rang, we all jumped thinking it might be Bella. It never was. Hours passed with no news. Alice had tried to tell me that no news was good news, and I almost lost it on her. Since then, she'd kept her mouth shut.

A little after four, my phone rang. Startled, I dropped my phone. Picking it up, I noticed that it was Mark.

"Mark?"

"Edward?"

I let out a sigh before the tears came. Bella.

"Oh, God! Bella!"

Immediately, everyone gathered around me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, having to know the answer.

I heard her sniffle a bit, and her voice was thick with tears. "I'm okay now. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. I'm just grateful that Mark and his team showed up when they did."

We talked for a few more minutes before Mark came on the line. He said that Bella was being taken to the hospital in Port Angeles and for us to meet him there. Within moments, Dad was speeding us toward the hospital. We'd been in the waiting room for roughly twenty minutes, when Mark and Bella walked in. My heart jumped into my throat when I saw her. My beautiful Bella.

She ran to me, falling into my arms, and I couldn't hold her tight enough. I buried my face in her hair and let the tears fall. We clung to each other desperately, afraid to let the other go. Finally, we pulled apart, and I gasped at what I saw. Her beautiful face was bruised and bleeding, there was a gash on her head, and there was some gauze taped to her neck.

"I'm okay," she reassured me. "I promise."

I frowned. She didn't look okay. When the doctor called her name, I went back with her. I was never letting her out of my sight again. After examining her, the doctor told her she was going to need stitches for the cut on her head and the one on her throat. When the doctor had pulled the gauze away from her neck, what I saw filled me with rage. She'd been cut. A knife had pierced her delicate skin.

"Edward?" she asked, bringing me back.

I turned to look at her.

"I'm going to be okay. I promise you."

All I could do was nod. Minutes later, a woman from the police department came into the room and began to do that stuff that they do on those crime shows. She scraped the skin underneath Bella's nails and took photos of all of her bruises and cuts. When she was done, the woman told Bella that Mark would be taking her statement. Bella thanked the woman as she left.

The next fifteen minutes were spent watching the doctor stitch Bella up and half-listening as he gave her instructions for the pain killers that he was prescribing her. Clasping hands, we walked out to the waiting room to our friends and family. Bella was hugged and kissed by everyone, before Mark interrupted.

"Bella? I hate to do this, but we need to get your statement about everything that happened."

Bella nodded. "I know," she said.

Mark drove the two of us to the Port Angeles Police precinct where he sat Bella down across from one of the desks and asked her to tell him what happened.

Grasping my hand tightly in hers, she began. "I was getting ready to get into my car so that I could meet Edward for lunch. I heard a noise behind me and turned around. Caius was standing there. He hit me with something and knocked me out. When I came to, we were in his car driving toward Forks. He said that he knew that I had his drugs, and that I was going to give them to him. I tried to tell him he was wrong and that's when he smacked me and told me to shut up."

I let out a low growl. How dare that bastard lay a hand on my Bella! Bella squeezed my hand, and I shut up. Taking a deep breath she continued.

"He dragged me into the house, which must have just been searched by the police because everything was a mess."

"We'll fix that," Mark interrupted. "We left it that way on purpose so that he would notice that we had searched the place."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, he was a bit furious. Mumbling about how if someone else had found his drugs, he was going to make me pay. He then decided that if the drugs weren't in the house, then they must be at some place at First Beach. I guess Demitri had told Caius that Laurent spent a lot of time there. He dragged me to the car and made me give him directions to La Push."

I was quiet the rest of the time she spoke, until she told us about Caius putting a knife to her throat and threatening to slit it. I couldn't contain the wounded noise that came out of my throat. Bella squeezed my hand harder, and I clung to it. I knew she needed to get through telling what happened, and my interrupting her wasn't helping. It was incredibly painful having to sit there and listen to the horror she'd gone through. I thanked my lucky stars that Mark got there in time and was able to save her.

By the time Bella was done recounting the events of what had happened, it was close to seven in the evening. We were both exhausted, and when Mark offered to drive us to my parents' house, we agreed.

An hour later, we were curled up in our bed. Sleep wasn't coming easily to either of us, so we laid there quietly talking.

"I can't even find words to express how glad I am that your safe and weren't seriously harmed," I whispered, pressing a hard kiss to the side of her head.

"I love you so much, Edward! I was so scared that I would never see you again."

"I know, sweet girl. I know."

Sitting up, she cupped my face in her hands and gave me a long hard kiss. A kiss I was only to happy to return. If the outcome had been different, she might not have been sitting there kissing me. Finally, the need to breath forced us apart. Her hands still cupped my face, and she had a serious, yet determined look on her face.

"Edward, will you marry me?"

For a moment, time stood still. My brain was working furiously to compute what she had just asked me. I was sure I looked like a fool with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide.

"Edward?" she asked quietly.

I realized that I hadn't answered her, and she was sitting there worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Reaching out, I ran my thumb over her bottom lip.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'll marry you. I was planning on asking you, but you beat me to it."

A smile bloomed over her face. "You mean it? You'll really marry me?"

I rolled my eyes. Silly girl. "Of course I'll marry you. I want you to be mine for forever. Hang on just a sec," I told her as I got up and headed out the door.

I had asked Mom for help picking out an engagement ring for Bella. We'd gone a few weeks ago to pick one out, and I'd asked Mom to hold onto it for me. I was glad I did, especially since the break in. Heading into my parents' room, I found the ring and then ran back to my room. Bella was still sitting on the bed, probably trying to figure out why I'd run away.

Climbing back onto the bed, I handed her the little black box. With shaking hands, she took it and slowly opened it.

"Oh, Edward. It's perfect," she gasped upon seeing the ring.

"Yeah?"

She nodded. With my own shaking hands, I took the ring out of the box and slowly slid it onto her trembling finger. It fit perfectly. For a moment, we both just stared at it. Then we looked up at each other and broke into cheesy grins. She threw herself at me, and I hugged her hard. Our love making that night was slow and full of passion. It was the perfect ending to a horrible day.

We woke up the next morning to our phones ringing. Turns out our bosses declared that we needed a few days to recover from our ordeal. While they were right, I felt horrible that I'd only be at my new job for a day, and I was already taking time off. Jared assured me it was not only fine, but necessary. He wanted me to be in a healthy state of mind when I went back to work on Thursday. After showering and getting dressed, Bella and I headed downstairs. The whole family was sitting around the table when we entered.

"Good morning, kids," Dad said as we took our seats.

"Good morning," we replied, and it was a good morning.

Mom rushed over to give Bella a hug. "How are you, dear?"

Bella gave Mom a big smile. "I'm good. I promise. I'll probably have some bad days in the future, but today—today, I'm good."

And that was when Mom spotted the ring on Bella's finger. Mom let out a high pitched squeal and grabbed Bella in another hug.

"When did this happen?" she asked.

"Last night," I told her. "She asked me to marry her. I couldn't say no."

Mom let go of Bella and wrapped me up in a hug before she smacked me on the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You were supposed to ask her, not the other way around," Mom said, glaring at me.

Bella let out a giggle. "I couldn't help myself, Esme. I'd already made up my mind to ask him once all the craziness with Caius was over. I'm just glad he said yes."

"So where's his ring?" Emmett asked.

Bella smirked. "At the house."

My head whipped around. My girl had gotten me a ring to wear?

"What? It only seems fair that if I wear a ring to let people know I'm taken, that you wear one as well," she informed me.

That was fine by me. She wouldn't hear me complaining.

Once we were done with breakfast, we decided to go over to our house and see what the damage was. Mark had told us that they'd turned the place over looking for the drugs as well as for Caius' benefit. Emmett opted to go with us, telling us that he was thinking about moving into my old house. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about having Emmett living so close to me, but I knew that he was tired of living with our parents.

We pulled into the drive and were met by Mark and a few of his deputies.

"Hey, guys," he said when we got out of the car.

"Hey, Mark. What's going on?" I asked.

"Thought we'd come over and put your house back together. Good thing you're here though since we don't know where a lot of stuff goes," he said with a grin.

It took a few hours, but with everyone's help we got everything put back in it's rightful spot. I offered to order pizza for everyone and while I was doing that, Bella ran upstairs. She came back a few minutes later and handed me a box similar to the one I'd handed her earlier. I excused myself and walked out back with Bella. Opening the box, I found a beautiful silver ring. She slowly slid the ring on my finger and looked immensely pleased that it fit. I was too. It looked good sitting there, and I couldn't wait until we were married.

Heading back in, we were congratulated by everyone. It was nice to have such a relaxing evening. Before Mark left, he informed us that Caius was being extradited to New York and was facing a huge list of charges. The FBI had been more than eager to get their hands on him, and we were assured that he would be put away for a very long time.

"Will there be a trial?" Bella asked.

"Yes, and there's a good chance that you'll have to testify. Are you okay with that?"

Bella nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he never hurts anyone again."

After Mark and his deputies left, Bella decided to call her parents. Mark had kept Charlie informed on everything that had happened, but I could tell from Charlie's voice that he was relieved to hear from Bella. She let her parents know that she was fine, a bit banged up, but otherwise unhurt.

"I have some more good news," she began.

"What's that, honey?" Renee asked.

"Edward and I are engaged."

She held the phone away from her ear as her mother started screaming and expressing how happy she was. Charlie, on the other hand, hadn't said a word and that made me nervous.

"Charlie?" Bella asked.

"Sorry, kiddo. I was taking a moment to process it all. I'm happy for you. Both of you. I know that Edward's a good guy."

"He really is."

"So when's the wedding?" Renee asked.

Bella and I looked at each other. We hadn't figured that out yet.

"No idea. But as soon as we do, we'll let you know."

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><p>It was hard to believe that a month had passed since Caius had been caught. It had been a long hard month, but things were slowly getting back to normal. Bella had spent a better part of the month insisting that she was fine, but she was anything but. There were moments where she would lash out at anyone nearby, and I woke up one morning to find her throwing dishes on the kitchen floor.<p>

I'd heard a loud crash and had had a flashback of someone breaking into the house. Jumping up, I had noticed that Bella wasn't in our bed, so I'd headed downstairs and found her in the kitchen surrounded by broken ceramic.

"Bella! Are you okay? What happened?" I'd asked.

She'd turned to me and her eyes were blazing with rage and fury. I'd wondered when it was all finally going to surface, and it seemed like it had at that moment.

"I cannot believe that that fucking bastard had the nerve to take me!" she'd growled as she thrown another plate on the floor. "Who the fuck does he think he is? Huh? Who the fuck thinks it's okay to take someone against their will? It's bullshit!"

I'd tried to grab her arm and prevent her from breaking anymore dishes, and that had been a mistake. She whirled around and glared at me.

"Don't fucking touch me right now!" she'd yelled.

I had known that she hadn't meant the words as they were yelled in anger, but that didn't prevent the hurt that I had felt when she'd uttered them. Holding my hands up in surrender, I'd slowly backed up, giving her some space. I had begun to speak, but was cut off when she continued.

"And don't even fucking think about telling me to stop! I'll break these fucking dishes if I want to!"

"Okay. Just be careful. I'd hate to see you get hurt, love."

"Too fucking late for that. That fucking bastard already hurt me! Remember?" she shouted.

Oh, I had remembered. The image of her bruised and battered face would stay with me for a long time.

"I know, love, and I'm sorry that I couldn't stop him from hurting you."

"God, Edward. It wasn't your fucking fault. Don't start feeling guilty for something you had not control over," she'd said, pointing a finger at me.

Then she'd turned back to the counter to grab more plates and realized that there weren't anymore left. All of our plates were on the floor. Shattered in pieces. It was at that moment that she had realized what she had done and broke down into sobs. Carefully, I had walked over to her and gathered her in my arms. I had carried her into the living room where we'd sat and had a long talk. Dad had told me that all of the trauma was going to hit Bella at one time and that it would do us both good to talk to someone about it. He had been right.

Bella had agreed to see a therapist that Dad recommended, so once a week we went and talked to the therapist. Bella had been hesitant at first, but things were finally getting back to normal. We drove into work together, had lunch together either by ourselves or with our friends, and then we'd head home and hang out. We got together once a week to play D&D, something that Bella had really gotten into. Our therapist thought it was a good way for Bella to let loose of some anger without hurting or breaking anything or anyone. I didn't bother to tell him, that Bella's character was all about slaughtering people.

We also hung out with Jake and Seth once a week as well as continuing to have brunch with the family on Sundays. Emmett had moved in next door and more often than not was over at our place. I think he was lonely. Rosalie had sought him out a few more times since we'd last seen her at my parents' house, but he'd told her that if she truly wanted him back then she'd have to agree to marriage counseling. That hadn't been what she had wanted to hear. Bella and Alice had formed a tentative truce. Bella still hadn't forgiven Alice for her behavior, but she was making nice and really, that was all I could ask for. Of course, all of that changed at the next Sunday brunch.

"Bella, dear! You're looking much happier," Mom told her after she welcomed us with a hug.

"Thanks, Esme. I'm feeling happier. The therapist is really helping."

We sat around and made small talk with Alice and Jasper until Mom called us to the table. As usual, Mom had made an awesome breakfast of which we were all enjoying. I should have known that it was going too well.

"So, Bella," Alice began. "I was thinking we could schedule your wedding for sometime in the fall. That way it won't interfere with mine and Jasper's wedding in June. When Jasper and I go talk to the minister next week, we can find out when the church will be available for you. Oh, we should also start shopping for your wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses as well. Oh, and I'll need to get a maid of honor's dress or should I say matron of honor's dress."

Jasper and Alice had overcome their differences and the wedding was back on. It was in two months time and Alice had become bridezilla. It was awful, and I felt horrible for Jasper having to deal with all of that. I was grateful that Bella wasn't like that. We both wanted a small simple wedding. No fuss, no mess, and judging from the look on Bella's face she was about to let Alice have it.

Bella calmly put her fork down and crossed her hands in front of her, staring at Alice.

"Alice. We're not getting married in the fall. We're not getting married in a church. And you won't be my matron of honor."

Horror crossed over Alice's face, and I knew she was about to say something to piss Bella off even more.

"What are you talking about? Of course you'll get married in a church, and I'll be the matron of honor. I mean really, who else are you going to ask?"

Bella narrowed her eyes. "This is _our_ wedding. Mine and Edward's. And we don't want to be married in a church. And as for my maid of honor, I've already asked someone."

Alice looked like she was about to keel over from shock. "But—you have to get married in a church!"

"No, Alice. We don't," I said. "Neither of us are overly religious, and we have found a perfect spot to get married in. A place that means something to both of us."

Alice huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, obviously put out that her ideas weren't going over well.

"So who have you asked to be your maid of honor?"

"Leah," Bella replied.

"Hmph. I still don't-"

Mom broke in and told Alice, "It's their wedding, Alice. You've gotten to plan yours, now let them plan theirs."

Nobody could shut Alice up like Mom could. Turning to us, Mom asked when we planned on having the wedding.

"Actually, we were thinking next month," I told her.

"What?" Alice screeched. "You can't have your wedding before mine!"

I gritted my teeth and looked at her. "Yes, Alice we can. Unlike you, we don't need to spend thousands of dollars or months of planning. We know what we want and when we want it. If you're going to keep acting like a child then perhaps you shouldn't come to our wedding. Because sister or not, I will _not _tolerate you ruining our day."

Alice's mouth opened but nothing came out. Getting up from the table she stomped off, and I couldn't find it in me to care.

"Good for you, bro," Emmett said from beside me. "The little demon needs to learn that the world doesn't revolve around her."

Mom reached over and smacked Emmett in the back of the head.

"Oww! What was that for?"

"Don't call your sister the little demon."

"Well, she is."

"Emmett," Mom said, giving him the glare.

He shut up immediately. We spent the rest of brunch discussing our wedding. Right after the attack, we had gone for a walk in the woods behind Mom and Dad's. We had stumbled upon a beautiful meadow with a tiny brook running through it. The meadow was now a place that we went to when we needed a break from the world. A few weeks ago we had been lying in the grass, listening to the brook ripple and the birds sing.

"Edward?"

"Yes, sweet girl."

"How would you feel about having the wedding here?" she'd asked me.

I'd turned on my side to face her. "I think that would be perfect."

"Me, too," she'd replied with a sigh.

And so it was settled. The meadow was on Cullen property so we didn't have to get any approval to have the wedding there. We told the family about the meadow and that we planned on getting married the first week of May. Reverend Weber had agreed to perform the ceremony, and Mom told us that she'd get a caterer.

"How many people are you thinking?" Mom asked.

"Under twenty," we replied.

Everyone looked a bit surprised by the small number.

"Esme, we don't want a large wedding. We really only need our close friends and family, which adds up to under twenty people. My parents and Billy are going to fly up from Phoenix, and then we have Jake, Seth, Leah, Sam, Jared, and Paul. And all of you. That's all we need," Bella explained.

Mom made Bella promise not to go bridal gown shopping without her.

"I promise. But Esme, I don't want some elaborate fru-fru dress. I want something simple yet elegant. Oh, speaking of elegant, can I have a word with you in private?"

I watched as they walked off wondering what that was about. I looked to the others, but they had no clue either. Twenty minutes later, Bella and Esme came back into the room.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yep," she said, lifting her face up for a kiss.

Like I could deny her. I leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss, ever mindful of our family watching. Of course, whenever I kiss her, I tend to lose focus and before I knew it, Emmett was whooping and making porn noises. We broke apart, and my face was bright red, but not Bella's. She had a smirk on her face and held out a hand toward Emmett. I watched as he fished out his wallet and handed her twenty bucks.

"What?" I asked, confused as to what I just transpired.

"Emmett bet me that I couldn't get you to make out with me in front of everyone," she said with a grin.

Mom grinned and gave Bella a high-five. "The Cullen men can't resist our charms."

I shook my head. Good lord, those two together were going to be trouble. Dad must have thought the same thing because he said to me, "Son. We're in trouble."

"Tell me about it."

But I couldn't contain the smile that broke over my face as I looked at my fiancée. I knew the next month was going to be a bit hectic, but for now, I was going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

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><p>an: Huh. Well, this chapter ended up being way longer than I had planned. 29 pages. I don't think my senior seminar paper was quite this long. So lots of stuff happening here. Next chapter will BPOV on the kidnapping and whatnot. I'm looking about about 4 more regular chapters and an epilogue for a total of 30 chapters. It might end up being more, maybe less. Guess we'll see. Anyway, you know what to do. Leave me some love, chocolate, cookies. I wouldn't say no to some Rob (although I'm married to one of those, but he's not a british actor), some Dan Radcliffe, or even a little bit of Brad Pitt. Just sayin.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it.

A/N:As always thanks so much for reading and reviewing. It's so greatly appreciated. This chapter will mainly focus on what Bella went through last chapter. I struggled and struggled with this chapter. My muse, bitch that she is, took off for parts unknown and left me to my own devices. And that's never good.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"Your necklace may break, the fau tree may burst, but my tattooing is indestructible. It is an everlasting gem that you will take into your grave". ~Verse from a traditional tattoo artist's song, as quoted on , _Skin Stories: The Art and Culture of Polynesian Tattoo_**

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><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

Holy fucking hell, my head hurt. I attempted to reach up and touch my throbbing temple, but found that my hands wouldn't move. The first thought that went through my head was that I was paralyzed. Then I realized that I could wiggle my fingers. I quickly realized that my hands were bound by something. Rope, maybe?

"Ah, I see you're finally awake, Ms. Swan," a voice said.

Everything came flooding back to me after he spoke. Alec Caius had me. _Well, fuck_. That was no good. Struggling, I finally managed to sit up and found that I was in the backseat of a car with darkly tinted windows. I quickly surveyed my surroundings, but found nothing that would be useful in cutting the rope off my hands.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, hoping that my voice didn't betray the terror that I felt.

"To find my drugs, of course. I know that Laurent gave them to you for safe keeping."

I snorted. "No, he didn't. I would never have held drugs for Laurent. Hell, I didn't even realize that he was into drugs."

"Lies will get you nowhere," Caius told me in a thick New York accent.

I watched out the window as the trees flew by and before I knew it we were pulling up in my neighborhood. He got out and came around to open the back door. He had a deadly looking knife in his hand.

"You're going to show me where Laurent hid the drugs. Do anything stupid, and I won't hesitate to use this on you," he warned me.

I nodded as he dragged me out of the car and across the yard. I couldn't believe that none of our neighbors noticed me being dragged by a man with a knife, but apparently they didn't. There was police tape across the door to the house, but Caius cut it with the knife before ramming the door open. _Jesus!_ Our living room was a disaster. The couch and chairs were overturned, desk drawers were on the ground, books were laying haphazardly on their shelves. It looked as though someone had destroyed the place looking for something. I narrowed my eyes. Mark was going to have a lot to answer for, and you could bet I would be making him clean up the mess he and his men had made.

"What the fuck?" Caius exclaimed, looking at the mess.

"Who the fuck did this?" he growled, his hand on my arm tightening causing me to wince in pain.

"Probably the police. Obviously, they had the same idea you did and searched the place"

Caius let loose with a bunch of swearing. Still gripping my arm, he pulled out his phone and called someone. The conversation was spoken in what I thought was Italian. A few moments later, he hung up the phone and turned to glare at me.

"What?"

"Where is First Beach?"

"La Push," I told him.

He gave me an evil smile. "Seemed Laurent was spending a lot of time down there. Let's go," he said, roughly shoving me out the door.

We headed to his car, where I was, once again, locked in the back. Could be worse. I could've ended up in the trunk and that would've really sucked. I gave him directions to La Push, and unfortunately we didn't pass many vehicles along the way. Not like anyone could've seen me anyway. Once we entered La Push, I directed Caius toward First Beach. I had a feeling that I would meet my demise there. He threw the car into park, and once again, dragged me out of the car.

The beach was littered with washed-up debris and sand. Not the easiest of things to walk across while being dragged. Whoever Caius had talked to had told him about some of the caves on First Beach. I knew without a doubt, that if Caius got me into one of those caves, I was as good as dead. That's when I started to struggle. I wrenched away from his grasp, but I wasn't able to get very far. I was yanked back as his hands caught my hair, and I let out a yelp of pain.

"Move, and I'll slit your throat," he warned, pushing the tip of the knife into my flesh. I felt a sharp pain as the blade pierced my skin. It fucking hurt, but having my slit throat would hurt a lot worse, and I knew that Caius wouldn't hesitate to kill me.

I stood still and waited to see what he was going to do. After a moment, he lowered his hand, and started dragging me down the beach. I could see the entrance to one of the caves not too far away, and panic really began to set in. If he got me into one of those caves, I was as good as dead. Unfortunately, I had no way to escape.

We entered the cave, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. The cave was small and empty. There was no way Laurent hid anything in there. Caius, realizing that as well, let out a curse before dragging me with him to the next cave. The second cave was empty as well. When we climbed into the third cave, I was exhausted, bruised, and a bit battered. Caius had smacked me, letting out his anger on me. Like it was might fault, Laurent stole his drugs. Upon entering the third cave, we saw a sleeping bag in the corner, and some trash littered about. Someone had obviously camped out there at some point. Didn't mean that Laurent had, but it was a start. Caius ordered me to start looking around.

"You gonna untie me?" I asked.

"No."

"How am I supposed to search for your drugs if I'm tied?"

"Just fucking do it," he growled.

_Asshole. _Using my shoe, I poked around the garbage that strewn the cave floor, keeping an eye on Caius at all times. He headed further back in the cave, and I chose to make my escape then and there. I slowly inched closer to the opening and making sure that he wasn't focused on me, I took off running. I hoped to hell that he wasn't some kind of expert knife thrower because that would really suck if he was. I heard him let out a shout, and I ran faster. No way was I fucking stopping.

I ran back the way we had come and saw flashing lights over one of the sand dunes. _Thank fuck! _

"Help!" I screamed as loud as I could.

"Bella!" I heard Mark yell.

I felt my body sag with release, but I didn't stop running. I stumbled over a log and fell to the ground, scraping my hands. Hands helped me up, and I'd never been so glad to see Mark in my life. He handed me over to some of his deputies that were waiting for me, before taking off with a group of deputies to get Caius.

I sat in the passenger seat of one of the police cars and I waited, impatiently, to see if Mark and his deputies were okay. Shots rang out in the air startling me as well as the men beside me. All I could think was that Mark had been shot ,and I would never forgive myself if that happened. Minutes crawled by before I saw Mark emerge with Caius bleeding and in handcuffs. I sagged with relief that, not only Mark was okay, but that Caius was in custody. I watched as Mark shoved Caius into the back of the cruiser before heading toward me.

"Call Edward. The man is frantic,"Mark told me, handing me his phone.

Immediately, I dialed Edward's number and almost sobbed when I heard his voice.

"Mark?" he asked.

"Edward?"

"Oh, God. Bella!" he cried out, and I sank to my knees ever so grateful to hear his voice.

We talked for a few minutes reassuring each other that we were fine, before I handed the phone over to Mark. They spoke for a few minutes and after they hung up, Mark had one of his deputies drive his car with Caius back to the station while we went to the hospital. The drive to Port Angeles was long and my neck and head were really hurting. Eventually, we arrived at the hospital where I walked in and found Edward waiting for me. I ran to him, throwing myself in his arms.

Edward's arms wrapped tightly around me, and I felt his tears begin to fall. I clung tightly to him, never wanting to let go. We broke apart, and he frowned seeing the damage that Caius had done to me.

"I'm okay," I told him. "I promise."

After the doctor patched me up, Edward and I went to the Port Angeles police station with Mark. With Edward clutching my hand, I recounted the events of the past few hours. By the time I was done, I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and be with my Edward.

Later that night, we were curled up in bed, but neither of us could sleep. I was afraid to close my eyes. Terrified that I would wake up to find it was all a dream and that Caius still had me. Edward held me, telling me how glad he was that I was safe and relatively unharmed. I couldn't even begin to express how much I loved him and before I even realized what I was doing I asked him to marry me.

My question was met with a stunned look, and I sat waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Edward?" I asked, afraid that I'd upset him somehow.

"Yes."

I wasn't sure if he was answering my question or asking me one.

"Yes?"

A huge smile lit his face. "Yes, I'll marry you. I was planning on asking you, but you beat me to it,"he told me.

I couldn't contain the big smile that came over me. _He'd said yes!_ I could hardly believe it.

"You mean it? You'll really marry me?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Of course, I'll marry you. I want you be to mine forever. Hang on a sec,"he said before climbing out of bed and heading out the door.

I sat there puzzled. Where was he running off to? A few moments later he came back and climbed into bed. Sitting next to me he held out a little black box. I felt tears well up in my eyes, but I willed them back. My hands were shaking a bit as I took the box from him. Opening it, I found myself staring at a beautiful diamond ring.

"Oh, Edward. It's perfect," I told him.

Taking the box from me, he took out the ring and with his own shaking hands slowly slid the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly, and I felt a thrill shoot through me as I gazed at it sitting there.

* * *

><p>"Esme," I groaned. "No more. I'm so tired."<p>

"Bella, I promise if we don't find your dress in here, we'll stop for today,"she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the bridal shop.

Esme and Seth had dragged me all over Seattle looking for the perfect wedding dress. Even though Leah was my maid of honor, she had no desire to go wedding shopping. I couldn't say I blamed her. None of the six million dress that I'd tried on were _the one_. I was getting fed up and wanted my Edward.

"Hey, Bells! Come look. I think I found the one," Seth hollered from across the shop.

It cracked me up to see six foot five Seth wandering around a bridal shop picking out dresses. I hadn't known it at the time, but Seth was a sucker for weddings. Esme and I wandered over to him and found him holding out a beautiful dress. I knew even without trying it on, that it was _the one_. It was an elegant strapless dress with a blue ribbon around the waist. It was perfect for a meadow wedding. Taking the dress from him, I quickly went to try it on and was astounded when I looked at myself. _I was a bride!_

"Bella!" Seth yelled. "Let me see!"

Rolling my eyes, I stepped out of the dressing room. Esme and Seth let out gasps upon seeing me.

"That's the one," Esme whispered. I nodded my head in agreement.

After getting the dress altered a bit, I went to pay for it and was stopped by Esme.

"You mom and Charlie are paying for your dress," she told me.

Three long hours later, I was dropped off at our house. I walked in and found Edward lying on the couch watching reruns of Doctor Who.

"Hey, sweet girl," he called out.

"Hey, baby."

"So how was the shopping trip."

I flopped down on top of him, resting my head against his chest.

"I found my dress."

"Yeah?"

"Yup."

"Well?" he asked.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to tell me what it looks like?" he asked.

"Nope. You'll just have to wait and see."

"I can hardly wait," he said, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.

I could hardly wait either. It was funny. I had never pictured myself getting married before I met Edward. Upon meeting him, I found myself dreaming and wanting things I'd never wanted before. I wanted it all. The wonderful husband, the nice house in a quiet neighborhood, and even a couple of kids. Sometimes it scared me how much I wanted it all.

"Just think, sweet girl. In a week, you'll be Mrs. Edward Cullen."

"Hmmm. I like the sound of that," I said.

"Not as much as I do," he growled before bringing his lips back to mine.

Eagerly, I opened my mouth letting his tongue slip inside. Slowly, passionately we explored each other's mouths, enjoying a sensuous kiss. Moments later, his lips moved to my ear kissing it lightly, then down my neck. I tilted my head to give him better access, loving the bites and nibbles that he placed along the way. One of his hands that had been on my back, slid down my lower back to my ass, gripping it gently and holding me tighter to him.

I let out a moan, thrusting my hips against his, loving the feel of his hardness against me. His other hand moved to my waist then around to my front and slowly slid up to cup my breast. I let loose with another moan upon feeling his large hand cupping me.

"This needs to come off," he said, tugging on my shirt.

Sitting up, I straddled his lap and teasingly pulled my shirt up, inch by slow inch.

"Bella," he growled out, obviously not enjoying my teasing as much as I was.

Rolling my eyes, I removed my shirt, tossing it on the floor, so that I was now straddling him wearing nothing but my bra and jeans. His hands slid up and around my back and unclasped my bra before returning to my breasts. Both his hands came up and palmed them, rubbing my hardened nipples with his thumbs.

"I love your breasts."

I let out a moan as he continued his ministrations. "I love what you're doing to them."

Sitting up a bit so that he was propped against the couch, he leaned forward and brought his lips to my breast. He teased me, placing small kisses here and there, but never actually kissing me where I wanted him to. Finally, he brought his lips to my nipple, catching it between his teeth. He tugged it gently, before suckling hard. My head fell back as a loud moan fell from my lips. My hips undulated against his, and I knew that I could easily come just by rubbing against him.

Suddenly, his lips left me, and I found myself being gently lowered to the floor. He laid down next to me, propped up on one arm while his other hand slid down my stomach to my pants.

"Help me," he requested.

I gladly did, sliding my jeans off until I was left in my panties. Edward traced a finger over my panties, stopping to rub my clit gently. I thrust my hips upwards trying to get more friction, but he continued to tease. Finally, he hooked his fingertips inside my panties, and I lifted my hips so he could remove them.

"You're beautiful, Bella," he said in a husky voice.

He slid down between my legs, and I spread them trying to give him a better view. I could feel his breath on my lower lips and I moaned. His hand slowly moved forward, his fingertip brushing against my outer lips.

"Fuck," I hissed, spreading my legs even more. I could feel him slide it up and down my slit. He slowly pushed his finger inside of me, and I groaned, feeling the pressure building. I was so wet that it didn't take long for him to be sliding in and out faster and faster, adding another finger after a few strokes. My hands dug into the carpet beneath me, and I felt myself getting close.

"I'm close, Edward," I whispered, opening my eyes finally and meeting his.

"Come for me," he begged before lowering his lips to my clit.

I arched my back screaming as I tightened around his fingers. I writhed on the floor.

"Fuck!"

I felt my body go limp after I came, and I kept my eyes closed. I felt like my whole body was tingling. I felt Edward press a kiss to each of my thighs before slowly working his way up. He leaned over me and caught my lips in a fierce kiss.

I'd had my fun, it was his turn now. Bracing my hands against his chest, I pushed until he rolled over, and once again, I was straddling him. Slowly, I trailed my tongue down his chest, stopping to nibble here and there. Once I reached the top of his pants, I quickly undid them and yanked them down.

"My, my. What have we here?"

My dear Edward had gone commando.

"I ran out of clean boxers," he told me sheepishly.

"I certainly don't mind," I said before leaning down to lick his shaft.

His head flew back, and he let out a moan as I continued to taste him. I swirled my tongue around the tip, while my fingers stroked and teased his length. He let out a guttural moan the minute that I took his length in as far as I could.

"Bella! You've got to stop. I want to come inside you."

Like I would say no to that. Sliding back up, I hovered over him so that my breasts were hovering over his face. He lifted his head up and grabbed my nipple gently with his teeth while his hands massaged and kneaded my breasts. I was going to lose it before we got started. Slowly, I lowered myself onto him, and we let out loud moans. Nothing ever felt as good as he did. Our thrusts were slow and loving, but soon we both wanted a bit more. Edward pulled out of me, and rolled me over, positioning himself behind me. He sheathed himself back in me in a long hard thrust.

I let out a whimper as he started thrusting harder and harder. One of his hands reaches down and starts to play with my clit causing me to lose all control. I let out a cry as my orgasm overcomes me and moments later, Edward follows.

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><p>The week flew by and before I knew it was the day before my wedding. My mom and Charlie had flown up the day before and were staying at the Cullen's house. I shuddered to think of what stories Renee was telling them about me. Renee had tried to convince me to stay with at the Cullen's house, mumbling some nonsense about the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding. Screw that shit. Edward and I were anything but traditional, and there was no way in hell I was going to be separated from my man unless it was necessary.<p>

"You excited?" he asked me as we sat down to eat breakfast.

"Fuck yes. You?"

He gave me a beautiful smile. "I can hardly wait."

We spent the day getting last minute things done. Edward and I went to our meadow and enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few moments. We were interrupted the ringing of his phone.

"Hey, Emmett."

They spoke for a few before hanging up. Emmett was going to be our DJ for the reception which was being held at the Cullen's house. Esme had done all of the cooking except for the wedding cake, and Edward and I had taken charge of decorations. We knew what we wanted and where we wanted it so it worked out well. Looking around our meadow, I was pleased. The chairs were lined up in rows, there were torches lighting the way, and we'd set up a wedding trellis to be married under. It was simple and elegant and perfect for us.

"What did Emmett want?"

"To finalize the playlist," he said, rolling his eyes.

We'd had to veto a few songs that Emmett had put on the list such as The Bloodhounds _Bad Touch_. Well, I didn't mind the song, it wasn't exactly wedding appropriate.

Later that night, we were all seated at Cafe garden in Port Angeles having our dinner reception. All of our family and friends were in attendance, and we had a blast until Alice began drinking. Okay, so we'd all been drinking, but apparently some people just can't hold their liquor very well. Our parents had left and it was just us kids and our friends, and that was when the claws came out.

"I still can't believe that you're doing this to me," she slurred, shooting me an angry look.

I was sick of rehashing all that shit with her. "Get over yourself, Alice. The world doesn't revolve around you. I'm not doing anything to you. Stop before you get yourself in more trouble."

She frowned as if she couldn't comprehend what I'd said. Hell, she probably couldn't.

"Oh, puh-lease. It's obvious you think the world revolves around you," a female voice said from behind me.

I turned and saw Rosalie standing there, arms crossed over her chest, anger on her face. _No, no, no. _I did not want to deal with any crap the night before my wedding.

"What are you doing here, Rosalie?" Emmett growled out from beside me.

She shot him a haughty look. "It's a public restaurant. I can be here."

"Yeah, well this is a private party, and you weren't invited so you need to leave," Edward told her.

She pulled out a chair at a table next to us and sat down, obviously having no intention of leaving. That was fine. I was ready to go anyway, and I let Edward know. Getting up, we said our goodbyes. Rosalie got up to follow us, but Emmett leveled her with a glare.

"Sit!" he barked out. "We need to have a talk."

Jasper had give Alice a talking to, and she apologized to us before we all parted ways in the parking lot, but I wasn't buying it. The only reason I was even allowing her to be at the wedding was because I knew Edward would feel awful if she wasn't there.

The next morning, we woke up and started our day off with a romp in bed. No better way to get the blood flowing. By eleven, I had been swept away by Esme and Renee to get my hair and makeup done.

"Oh, Bella! You're so beautiful," my mom cried once my hair and makeup were done.

Looking in the mirror, I agreed with her. I did look a good. Moments later, surrounded by Esme, Renee, Leah, and Sam, I was helped into my wedding dress. I didn't really need help getting into it, but I let them help me anyway. Taking a look in the mirror once more, I felt tears well up in my eyes. I was about to become Edward's wife. _Holy shit!_ I wasn't nervous, just terribly eager to get it done. I couldn't wait to become Bella Cullen.

Everyone had insisted that Edward and I arrive separately and it was just easier to give in than to argue. I arrived at our meadow with Charlie and Renee as well as Leah and Sam. I got out of the car and took Charlie's arm when he offered it to me. Not too much later, I heard the music begin. Leah walked down the aisle with Emmett at her side, and then it was my turn.

"Ready, Bells?" Charlie asked.

I gave him a huge smile. "More than anything."

We started our descent down the aisle between the chairs, and I could see all of our friends and family sitting there smiling. Then my gaze was captured by the beautiful and gorgeous man waiting for me. He was standing under the trellis in a charcoal gray tux, looking sinfully delicious. _ Oh, man I couldn't wait to get him alone!_ When we got to Edward, Charlie gave my hand to him, and I clasped his tightly, doing my best to convey all my love to him.

I barely remember the rest of the wedding. I knew that Reverend Weber spoke a bit, I remember gazing into Edward's eyes and saying I do and him repeating the words. I remembered the kiss, but it was all a blur. All I could really focus on, was the man beside me and that I was officially married.

"Happy?" Edward asked me as we danced at our reception.

"Immensely," I replied, tilting my head up for a kiss which he was only to happy to give me.

We didn't plan on having a honeymoon at the moment, mainly because we couldn't really afford to go anywhere. But Esme and Carlisle surprised us. After Emmett and Jake gave their toasts, Esme and Carlisle told us that we would be taking a week off and spending it on Isle Esme, a tropical island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. An island that the Cullen's owned. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that they owned an island. I mean, really? Who owned an island?

"Wait. You own an island?" I had to ask, staring at Esme like I'd never seen her before.

"Carlisle gave it to me for as an anniversary present," she explained.

I turned to look at Edward. "Don't even think about buying me any islands."

He let out a snort. "No worries. I couldn't afford an island right now."

After it set in that we were going to spend a week alone on an island, I couldn't wait. I was more than ready. Esme handed me our plane tickets, and I noticed that we would be flying out of Seattle tomorrow afternoon.

"We figured you'd like to spend your wedding night at home and not on a plane," she told me.

She was right. Not too much later, we left, getting hit with tons of rice. I never understood why people felt the need to throw rice at the happy couple. Couldn't they just say congrats and be done with it?

The ride home was quiet, but filled with sexual tension. Tonight would be the first time we made love as husband and wife, and I couldn't wait.

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><p>an: Next chapter will cover the wedding from EPOV and the honeymoon. Ffter that, will come the epilogue and perhaps a few outtakes as well. We'll see. As always, let me know what you thought!


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: SM owns it all.

A/N: So I started writing this chapter at work and forgot to mail it to myself, so I had to start from scratch. I sort of remembered what I wrote. Anyway, a big thanks to everyone who is reading and a big thanks to all that review. It's greatly appreciated. I'm going to let you all know right now that this chapter isn't as long as the others. Mainly, because I felt that I said what I need to say, and I didn't want to force a bunch of crappy writing on you. Next chapter is the epilogue, and then at least one outtake.

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"If I have not read a book before, it is, for all intents and purposes, new to me whether it was printed yesterday or three hundred years ago." ~ William Hazlitt**

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><p><strong>EPOV<strong>

Sitting on the couch, I glanced at the clock on the wall for the fifteenth time. Time was dragging by far too slowly.

"What's up, Eddie? You keep looking at the clock," Emmett asked.

"Just wishing time would hurry up."

Emmett shook his head. "Man, I was never this calm when I was getting married. Remember? I was a nervous wreck."

I wanted to say that it was because he knew deep down that he was marrying the wrong woman, but I kept my mouth shut.

"I'm not nervous at all. I'm more than ready for Bella to be my wife. To have my name, my kids, and be mine forever."

"Marriage doesn't always last forever," Emmett said quietly.

I gave his shoulder a light squeeze. He hadn't told me what he and Rosalie had talked about last night, but when he had come over earlier, he'd seemed sadder.

"But," he said, flashing me a smile, "I have a feeling you and Bella will last."

Me, too. I knew without a doubt, we'd be together forever. I was sure there would be moments when we didn't get along, but I wasn't overly worried. We spent the next few hours just hanging out with Dad and Jasper before it was finally time for me to get ready. I headed upstairs, put on my tux, ran my fingers through my unruly hair, then headed back down.

Moments later we were heading toward the meadow. I could hardly contain my excitement at seeing my sweet girl. She was going to be my wife in just a short time, and I was ecstatic. I had never really pictured myself getting married, but before Bella, there were a lot of things I had never seen myself doing. Meeting her was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

We arrived at the meadow and got out, where I was greeted by a teary mom.

"Oh, my baby! Look at you! You look so handsome and grown up. Oh, I can't believe my baby is getting married!" she cried, pulling me to her and giving me a hug.

I hugged her back, letting her have her moment. A few minutes later, I made my way to the front of the aisle, standing near Reverend Weber. The music began, and I watched as Leah and Emmett walked down the aisle before going their separate ways. The music changed and the wedding march began. Looking down the aisle, I felt my breath catch in my throat. She truly was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her as Charlie walked her toward me. Once they reached me, Charlie gave me Bella's hand which I tightly clasped in my own. Before I knew it, I was saying "I do", and Reverend Weber was pronouncing us husband and wife. Leaning down, I caught Bella's lips with my own giving her a sweet, tender kiss.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen," I whispered.

"Hello, husband," she whispered back, giving me one more kiss.

The reception flew by and soon we were on our way home to spend our first night as husband and wife. I hated to admit it, but I was actually nervous. Although, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. It wasn't as if we'd never made love before, but tonight would be the first time we made love as a married couple.

"Are you okay?" my sweet girl asked.

"Better than okay. I don't think I've ever been so happy," I told her.

"But you're nervous about something," she commented.

I let out a little laugh. She knew me so well. "Yeah, a bit," I said, raking my fingers through my hair. "It's stupid, but I'm a bit nervous about our night."

She turned in her seat to look at me, before reaching out and grasping my hand.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I was a bit nervous as well?"

"Yeah," I said, squeezing her hand. "It's just—it's our first night as a married couple, you know?"

"Oh, I know. And I can hardly wait," she said with a sexy smirk.

We pulled into the drive, and I got out and hurried around to the passenger side of the car. Opening the door, I helped her out before sweeping her up in my arms. She giggled the whole way as I carried her over the threshold of our house and up the stairs. I was extremely proud of myself for not dropping her or tripping and taking us both out.

I stepped through the threshold into our bedroom and set my wife down on our bed. _My wife_. I got a kick out of saying it. She turned around so that her back was facing me and asked me to unbutton her dress. _Oh, heck._ There were a ton of little buttons, and I quickly got to work undoing them. I pressed kisses to each bit of skin that was revealed every time a button came undone and soon she was standing up to slip out of her dress. Carefully, she laid it down on the chair in the corner before turning to face me.

Once again, my breath caught in my throat. Had I known what she had going on under her dress, I wouldn't have been able to control myself. She was wearing a sexy little white piece of lingerie with white stockings and a garter belt.

"Do you like?" she asked, twirling in a slow circle.

Words failed me. I just nodded, trying not to drool. Bella let out a laugh then threw herself in my arms, and I gathered her close. I pulled the pins from her hair, then buried my hands it, loving the silky texture.

Slowly, I brought my lips to hers and gave her a long kiss. My hands slid over the bodice of the lingerie, trying to figure out how to get it off. Sensing that I needed help, Bella reached around her back and began to undue whatever it was that was keeping it on her. Once it was loosened, it slid off, and my hands slid up to cup her breasts. I never got tired of holding her, feeling her, making love to her.

"I love you so much," I told her, unable to express just how much she meant to me.

"I love you, too. Now take me to bed Mr. Cullen."

"My pleasure."

And it was.

* * *

><p>"Ugh. I can't wait to get off this plane," Bella groaned, stretching in her seat.<p>

I fully agreed with her. I was not a fan of long flights, and the flight to Rio de Janeiro was a long one. Granted, I'd taken the trip several times before.

"We're almost there. Once we get to the airport, we'll take a cab to the docks. We have a boat docked there that we'll take to the island," I told her.

She shook her head. "It's all so surreal. I can't believe we're honeymooning on an island owned by your parents."

"You're going to love the island. It's not big, but it's beautiful. White sandy beaches, a small forest, palm trees, and you're going to love the house. Dad had it custom built for Mom."

After the plane landed, we caught a taxi to the docks. Once there, I led Bella to our boat.

"Are you sure you know how to drive this?" she asked, once we were on board with our life vests on.

"Yes. Dad made sure all of us kids knew how to drive it," I assured her.

Thirty minutes later, I slowed the boat down and pulled it up to dock that was located on the souther part of the island. I climbed out and tied off the boat, taking the luggage with me. Once Bella was out, I grabbed the bags and her hand, and led her up the cobbled path to the house.

"Holy shit!" she exclaimed upon seeing the house.

Dad had outdone himself when he had it built. It wasn't an overly large house, but it contained four bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. There was also a pool, hot tub, and a game room.

I led Bella into the foyer, allowing her to get a good look around. Mom had painted the house in earthy beach tones and had the furniture arranged to show wide open spaces. After she'd looked her fill, I lead her upstairs toward the room we'd be staying in.

"Oh, Edward! It's gorgeous! I can't believe we get to stay here for a week!"

We unpacked our suitcases then headed down to the kitchen for a bite to eat. Afterwards, we changed into our swimsuits and hit up the beach.

"Help me?" Bella asked, turning her back to me so that I could put suntan lotion on her back. I was more than glad to do so.

Gently, I ran my hands over back, slowly untying the strings that held her tiny bikini together.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" she asked, looking at me over her shoulder.

"I wouldn't want you to get unsightly tan lines. I'm just helping you out," I said with a smirk.

"Uh huh."

I smoothed the lotion over her back, enjoying the feel of her skin against my hands. Teasingly, I dipped my fingers into her bikini bottoms causing her to jump.

"Are you seducing me, Mr. Cullen?"

"Why? Is it working, Mrs. Cullen?"

"Always," she said, before removing her top completely and lying face down on the towel.

I straddled her back and continued my ministrations. I rubbed her shoulders making sure to get them well coated. I didn't want the sun to harm her beautiful skin. I worked my way down her back to her legs, smirking when I saw her spread them for me. Kneeling above her, I pulled her bottoms off, then brought my hands up to her perfectly shaped butt. I gave it a gentle squeeze, before dipping my fingers into her warmth. She was wet and warm, sighing with pleasure as I gently ran my fingers over her, making sure to pay special attention to her nub. I felt her legs tremble and her warmth clutched my fingers as she began to come.

"So beautiful," I murmured, watching her.

I gave her bum a slight smack and told her to turn over, which she gladly did. I took a moment to drink her in. Her face and upper torso were flushed from her orgasm, her eyes bright as they stared up at me. I put some more lotion in my hands and began to rub her shoulders and her breasts. She thrust her chest out, and I slid my hands over those perfect breasts, enjoying the intake of breath she took when I tweaked her nipples.

"Oh, Edward," she moaned.

I played with her breasts for a bit longer, before trailing my fingers back to her wet center. Her legs spread wider, and I knelt between them unable to resist her any longer. Slowly, I braced myself at her entrance, pushing forward. I was unable to hold back the groan that escaped my lips as I pushed into her. I swore there was nothing better than being inside her. She began to wiggle around, causing me to grit my teeth.

"Give me a moment, Bella."

She stopped wiggling, instead leaning up to nip at my shoulder with her teeth. The sharp bite of pain helped me focus enough to know that I could start moving without losing it right away. I sunk myself deeper into her, only to pull back out and tease her opening.

"Edward!" she growled, urging me to sink back into her.

And I did. Back and forth, in and out, until the pleasure was almost mind numbing. I knew I wouldn't be able to last much longer, and I wanted Bella to come with me. Bracing myself on one arm, I slid a hand down her stomach to gently toy with her nub. I felt her body clench around me and that was it. I was coming as was she.

I managed to roll off and collapse beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she snuggled up next to me. We lay basking together in the sun for a few moments before Bella sat up.

"I need to shower. I've got sand in places it shouldn't be," she said with a laugh.

Picking her up, I headed back to the house where we entertained ourselves in the shower.

We spent the next day lying around the house and the beach, soaking up the rays, and just enjoying our alone time. The following day, I took us into Rio de Janeiro so that Bella would have a chance to enjoy the local culture. We spent the day playing tourist, enjoying the local cuisine and sights.

The first place I took was to the Tijuca Forest. We hiked for a few hours, loving the view and enjoying the beauty of mother nature. Afterwards, we went to the beach to cool off and relax a bit before eating at a local restaurant. We decided to get a hotel for the night and then spent the next day touring the botanical gardens. We had a great time, but were more than ready to get back to our little slice of Heaven.

All too soon, our time on Isle Esme came to an end. We were both sad to be leaving, but agreed that we would come back for our yearly anniversaries. I knew that Mom and Dad would let us use the island whenever we wanted. The trip home seemed to pass by quickly and soon we were driving home from Seattle.

We arrived at home and found that all of our wedding gifts had been stacked in the corner. I'd totally forgotten about them, but knew that we'd have to sit down soon and write thank you notes. Not something I was looking forward to.

We headed upstairs and found a note taped to our bedroom door.

_Dear Bella and Edward,_

_Inside your room, you'll find a gift from us. We hope that you enjoy it. _

_Love, _

_Mom and Dad_

Opening the door, we both let out gasps. Mom had redone our entire bedroom. The walls had been painted a light blue, the wooden floor had been carpeted, and there was a new huge bed waiting for us. The room was almost an exact replica of the room we'd used on Isle Esme.

"It's wonderful!" Bella exclaimed. "We need to call your parents and thank them."

After we had crawled into our new bed that night, we called my parents and thanked them profusely. Not only for our new bedroom, but for our trip.

"I'm so glad that you like it," Mom said. "We wanted you to have something to remind you of your time on Isle Esme."

The next few weeks passed in a blur. Bella went about officially changing her name, something that made me extremely happy, and we settled into married life. Not that married life was that much different than our boyfriend/girlfriend life had been.

Emmett had moved in next door and was constantly over at our house begging for leftovers. I could've sworn he had a nose like a bloodhound. Anytime Bella cooked dinner, he showed up. Bella finally made a deal with him. He could come over once a week for dinner, but that he had to provide us dinner once a week as well. He'd pouted, but finally relented.

"Man, Bells. You are one awesome cook!" he exclaimed, patting his belly for emphasis.

"Better than Mom?" I asked.

"I can't answer that. If I say yes, you'll rat me out."

I snorted. He was right. I would. Our relationship had gotten stronger since he'd left Rose, but he still wasn't happy. His eyes had a constant sadness to them, and I wasn't the only one that noticed.

"How are you, Em? Really? And don't give me that 'I'm fine' shit."

Emmett sat back in his chair. "I'm holding up. I—uh, filed for divorce today," he told us quietly.

I could tell that Bella wanted to cheer, but she knew that wasn't what he needed at the moment. She reached across the table and clasped his hand. "I'm sorry, Emmett. I know that this is hard on you, but I truly think you did the right thing."

He nodded while holding tightly to her hand. "I never thought it would come to this. I realized early on that our marriage wasn't perfect, but I figured that it was no big deal. All couples have moments where they don't get along. But things just kept getting worse. She would argue with me at every turn, accuse me of staring at other women, of cheating."

"And then I came into the picture, and that made things worse," Bella said softly.

"No," Emmett said, squeezing her hand. "Don't even think of putting any blame on yourself. I was a bit stupid in the beginning where you were concerned. I believed the lies Rose told because I didn't want to fight with her anymore. Then I began to see just how wrong she was, and I couldn't stand watching her try to hurt you with her words."

"Thank you for being such a good big brother," she said.

"Sure, kid. Now, I'm off to watch some ESPN, and then I'm gonna crash. Thanks for dinner, guys."

We cleaned up the kitchen and curled up on the couch to watch some TV before bed.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Bella asked me.

"Yes," I told her, playing with her wedding band. "He's strong, and I think that divorcing Rosalie is the best thing for him to do. It'll take time for him to heal, but he will."

"I just want him to be happy the way we are."

I grinned. "Oh, no! You've become one of those blissfully happy people that thinks everyone should be just as happy as you."

She smacked me on the shoulder while giggling. "Why, yes. I have become one of those people."

"I'm very glad to hear that," I said, pressing a kiss to her lips before turning my attention back to the TV.

Once our show was done, we headed to bed, where we snuggled up next to one another. There was something that I wanted to talk to her about, and I'd been putting it off. It wasn't bad or anything, I was just unsure of her response.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"I—uh, there's something I wanted to ask you about," I began.

She looked up at me and told me that I could talk to her about anything. I knew I could, but I was still about nervous.

"We've never really discussed children. I'd like to have a couple. Not now or anything," I rushed on to say, "but in a few years. How do you feel about having kids?"

"I never gave much thought to having children," she said, causing my heart to sink. "But, that was before I met you. I want children with you. No more than two. If I have to push them out, I mean it. I won't do that more than twice."

I felt a sigh of relief escape my lips. For a moment there, I'd been afraid she didn't want them at all. I felt a silly grin break out. Bella was going to have my kids!

"What's with the cheesy grin?"

"Just thinking about you and babies."

"Well, no babies for a couple of years. When we're ready, we'll have them."

"Sounds like a plan," I told her, giving her a quick kiss.

I fell to sleep that night dreaming of little girls with brown eyes and little boys with my unruly hair. I couldn't wait until we were ready.

* * *

><p>an: And there it is. Sorry for the shortness, but I honestly, couldn't write anymore without dragging it out and making it useless crap. I've already started the epilogue and will have that posted next week. After that, an outtake or two, and then I'm taking a hiatus from writing for like a week or two. I've got two stories already started, but I haven't decided which one to go with yet. One is a B/E vamp story, the other (now don't hate me) a Bella/Jacob story. I heart both.


	28. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

A/N: Well here it is. The last chapter. I'm a bit sad, I must say. I really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. I'll definitely have at least one outtake in the near future, and then I'm on to the next story. I was planning on taking a break from writing for a while, but once you've started, you can't stop.

* * *

><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

**"And they lived happily ever after."**

* * *

><p><strong>6 Years Later<strong>

**BPOV**

"Abigail Esme Cullen! Let go of your brother!" I hollered out the door, watching as my three year old attempted to drag my fourteen month old son around.

"But, Mama—"

"Abbie," Edward said from across the yard. "Let go of Luke. He'll walk when he wants to."

My daughter let out a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was clearly not happy. I rolled my eyes and went back to decorating the cake. It was Emmett's birthday, and we were having a party for him at our house. He had divorced Rosalie almost five years ago. At the time, I hadn't honestly thought that he'd really do it. Apparently, neither had Rosalie. She had been shocked and furious. At first she'd begged him to take her back, claiming that she'd go to marriage counseling, but Emmett stood strong and refused. Six months later, he was single. He'd given her their house and continued to live next door to us.

He'd recently gotten engaged to very nice woman named Maggie, and the family was thrilled. Well, most of the family was thrilled. Abbie was a little jealous. She loved her Uncle Emmett and wasn't too keen on the idea that she would have to share him.

Alice and Jasper had flown into town for the party. They had gotten married right after we did, and things had been good for them at first. They had moved to Seattle after Alice had gotten a job working with a well-known designer. But six months ago, Jasper's father had fallen gravely ill, so he'd gone back to Texas to be with him. He'd gotten a job teaching history at the local high school, and he loved it. He loved being back in Texas near his family. Alice, on the other hand, hated Texas. All she did was bitch about it whenever she called to talk to Edward or Esme. I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before she left and went back to Seattle.

Sometimes it was hard to believe that six years had flown by. Almost a year after my kidnapping, I'd had to testify against Caius. Doing so, had brought back all the nightmares, and I'd gone back into therapy. Caius had been given two life sentences with no chance of parole. Something I was extremely grateful for. After the trial, life went back to normal. Our marriage continued to flourish, and we had decided to wait a while to have children, but sometimes things don't go according to plan.

I still remembered when we first found out I was pregnant with Abbie. We'd been vacationing on Isle Esme for our third anniversary, and I hadn't been feeling well. By the time we'd gotten home, Edward was convinced that I had picked up some rare tropical disease and was on the verge of death. He hated my being sick and tended to freak out anytime it happened. I had assured him that I would talk to Carlisle, so that was what I had done.

"Bella! How are you? How was your trip?" Carlisle had asked as I'd taken a seat in his study.

"It was great. I haven't been feeling too well though, and your son is convinced I have some tropical disease."

Carlisle had cracked up. He was used to Edward's over protectiveness. I had explained my symptoms to him as he took notes and after I was done talking, he had looked at me.

"Could you be pregnant?" he'd asked me.

My mind had completely faltered. I hadn't even considered that option. Mentally, I had counted back and realized that my period was late. I had opened my mouth, but nothing came out so I tried again.

"Maybe. I don't know. I'm on the pill," I had blurted out, a blush creeping up my cheeks at telling my father-in-law.

"Have you missed your pill or been on any antibiotics?"

"No antibiotics, and I take my pill religiously," but there might have been a time or two that I had forgotten, but I hadn't wanted to tell him that.

Carlisle had kept talking, but I had tuned him out. I was still trying to process the fact that I might be having a baby.

"Bella?"

"Huh?"

"Have you heard anything I've been saying?"

"No," I had said, sheepishly.

He'd let out a small laugh. "Go buy a test and take it. All your symptoms indicate that you're pregnant."

"Can you please not tell anyone? I want to for sure."

"Of course. Doctor-patient confidentiality applies."

I had left Esme and Carlisle's feeling off balanced. I knew that if I went to the store in Forks and bought a test word would get out, so I'd headed into Port Angeles. Two hours later, I was at home staring at the three boxes I'd boughten. I had been scared to open them and take the damn tests. _What if I was pregnant?_ It wasn't like we didn't want kids, but I hadn't been sure I was ready just then.

"Bella?" I'd heard Edward call from downstairs.

_What was he doing home?_ It was only a little after noon. He should've been at work. I had frozen in my panic and didn't have time to do anything.

"There you are," he'd said, coming into the bedroom. "What's all this?" he'd asked, gesturing toward the kits.

"Uh," had been my brilliant response.

Picking one up, he'd looked at it, then at me. "Bella?"

"I went and saw Carlisle, and he thinks I might be, you know. Pregnant.

"Are you?" he'd asked me softly.

I had shook my head. "I don't know. I haven't taken any of them yet."

He'd sat down next to me on the bed, holding out his arms. Immediately, I'd climbed onto his lap. He'd wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly, and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. I had clung to him like he was my only lifeline.

"I'm scared," I'd whispered. "What if I'm pregnant?"

"Then you're going to make an awesome mom."

I had smiled at the conviction and confidence I heard in his voice. Leaning back, I'd looked at him.

"Can you go get me a disposable cup? There's no way I'm going to be able to pee on a little stick."

A few minutes later, we were sitting on the edge of the tub waiting for the three minutes to pass. It had been a long nerve-wracking three minutes. Finally, it was time to look. There were three different tests lying on toilet paper on the counter. We'd stood up and walked over. One test had two pink lines, another the word 'pregnant', and the other a plus sign.

"Looks like we're having a baby," I'd said quietly.

Edward hadn't said anything, so I'd turned to him. "Edward?"

"We're having a baby," he'd said softly. "Holy shit! We're having a baby!" he'd yelled, before picking me up and swinging me in a circle.

Seven months and twelve hours of labor later, Abbie made her appearance into the world. Almost immediately, she had Edward wrapped around her little finger. He adored his baby girl, and she was definitely a daddy's girl. The first six months after her birth, had been terrifying. We had no idea what we were doing and more often than not, we found ourselves calling Esme and Carlisle for help. Of course, they were more than happy to help us out. They adored their granddaughter.

And then, fourteen months ago, Lucas Charles Cullen was born. Much like Abbie, he'd been a bit of a surprise. We had planned on waiting until Abbie was a little older before having another child, but that didn't happen. After Luke was born, we decided that we didn't want anymore children. We had our boy and girl, and we were perfectly content with our little family of four.

"Alright, gang! Come in and wash up. Our guests will be arriving soon," I hollered out the door.

Edward scooped up a giggling Luke in one arm, and a pouting Abbie in the other. I just finished washing Luke's hands when a car pulled in the drive. Abbie let out a gasp as she saw her Uncle Jasper get out of the car.

"Unca Jazz!" she screamed as he walked in the door.

Immediately, Jasper snatched her up in a huge hug. He loved our kids, and he was wonderful with them. I knew that he wanted a couple of rugrats, but Alice was adamant that she didn't want children. It was just another bone of contention between them, and I had a feeling it would be the one that ended their marriage.

"Hey, Bells," he said, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Where's the little guy?"

"Edward's got him," I told him, pointing toward the kitchen.

It was then that I noticed that Alice wasn't with him. "Jazz? Where's Alice?"

He set Abbie down and told her to go see Edward. I frowned. Something was definitely wrong.

"She's not coming. She's got a job interview in Seattle today."

"What?"

He ran a hand through his hair in a show of agitation. "Yeah. I overheard her telling Emmett she couldn't make it because she had a job interview. She didn't even have the fucking nerve to tell me to my face, Bella! I mean, fuck! If I hadn't overheard her, who knows if she would have told me. I confronted her about it, and she told me that she was tired of living in a bumfuck town in fucking Texas. I told her I wasn't leaving to come back to Seattle. Not only is my dad too sick, but I love my job and life there. She said that she wasn't staying and that if I really loved her, I'd move back to Seattle."

"That bitch!" I seethed. "How dare she give you an ultimatum?"

"She justified it by saying that she gave up her life to move to Texas, but she's done. She's coming back here no matter what."

"I can't leave, Bella. More importantly, I _won't_ leave. My dad needs me, and Alice is too selfish to see that."

I gave him a hug, but nothing that he said wasn't the truth. We all knew that Alice was selfish bitch. "How is your dad?"

"Slowly dying. The mouth and throat cancer is too far gone for the doctors to do much. All they can do is hop him up on morphine. It's horrible, Bella. He's just withering away. He's nothing but skin and bones, and it makes me sick to see him like that. I don't want to remember him like that."

I had no idea what to say, so I just hugged him harder. How in the world Alice could leave him while his dad was dying was beyond me. It just showed how immature and selfish she truly was.

"Ma!" a tiny voice cried from behind me.

I let go of Jasper and turned to see my little guy wobbling toward me.

"Well, hello my sweet boy. What have you got there?" I asked, seeing that he had something in his little fist.

He opened up his fist to show me a smooshed up dandelion.

"For me?" I asked.

He nodded. My little guy was too sweet.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later, and I saw that Jake, Seth, Jared, and Paul had arrived. I was still working at Eclipse and loving every minute of it. A few years back, Jake and Seth had actually expanded the building and hired a few more artists. We were well known in our little neck of the woods and even had clients from all the country. Jared and Paul had done well with Wolfmen Comics. So well in fact, that they had opened up another location in Seattle and moved there, leaving Edward to manage the store in Port Angeles.

Edward had finished his novel and self published it, making a bit of money, but it wasn't picked up by a national publishing company. I was afraid he'd be heartbroken, but he wasn't. He took some time off from writing when Abbie was born, but he's gotten back into it, and has another novel in the works.

"Daddy?" I heard my baby girl ask.

"Yes, sweet girl?"

"When's Unca Em coming?"

"Soon."

"Kay. I want cake."

Edward let out a laugh as he scooped her up. "I bet you do."

By the time Emmett and Maggie arrived, Abbie was sitting on the time-out step.

"Hey, hey! Where's my best girl?" he boomed upon entering the house.

"In time-out," I told him, watching his face fall.

"Aw, man. It's my birthday. She shouldn't have to be put in time-out on my birthday," he whined.

Sometimes it was hard to tell who the bigger kid was.

"She'll be out in a few minutes," Edward told him, coming over and giving Emmett a man hug while I greeted Maggie.

"What did the munchkin do?" Emmett asked me a few minutes later.

"Abigail," I called to my daughter, motioning her forward. "Why don't you tell your Uncle Emmett why you were in time-out."

She looked up at Emmett with a innocent look on her face. "Luke wanted some cake, so I gave him so."

Emmett raised an eyebrow at me. "When she says she gave him some, she really means that she shoved cake all over his face."

I could tell it was taking everything Emmett had not to crack up. It had been hilarious, but Luke had been furious. He'd cried like it was the end of the world, and Abbie had been adamant that she hadn't done anything wrong.

The party was a huge success. Everyone had a great time, and we spent the afternoon catching up. A little after seven, we put the kids down before returning to the living room. Emmett had said that he had news, and I was anxious to hear what he had to say.

"So, uh—" he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "We're having a baby."

There was a moment of silence before chaos rained down. Emmett and Maggie were hugged, kissed, and congratulated countless times. Emmett was beaming. There was no other word for it.

"I'm so happy for you guys!" I squealed, giving him a hug.

"We're excited as well as terrified. We'll be calling you with all kinds of questions," he warned me.

I let out a snort. "Just do what we did. Harass your parents."

Esme was beside herself at hearing the news. "Oh, I'm getting more grand-babies! I can't tell you how happy this makes me!" she exclaimed.

* * *

><p><strong>3 More Years Later<strong>

**EPOV**

"Luke! Put that down!" I hollered at my son as he was about to stuff a bug in his mouth.

He was four and going through a phase where he attempted to eat any bug that he saw. I had a feeling that his big sister was behind it all. Luke shot me a look before he dropped the bug with a huff. Some days, my kids drove me crazy. Although, not as crazy as Emmett's kids drove him.

Emmett and Maggie had gotten married right before the birth of their first daughter, Emily. A little over a year later, Siobhan was born. Those two little girls had Emmett wrapped around their fingers and were constantly getting into things.

Jasper and Alice had gotten divorced. Alice continued to live in Seattle and was dating some smarmy guy that no one liked. Jasper stayed in Texas after his dad died, but he came up to visit us for every major holiday. Bella had talked to him a few nights ago, and he was doing good. He wasn't dating anyone at the moment, but he was okay with that. Even though he and Alice were no longer together, we still considered Jasper family.

"Daddy!" a little voice called to me. I turned around and found my baby girl staring at me, hands on her hips.

"What is it, sweet girl?"

"Luke is eating bugs again!"

I let out a sigh. Abbie had gotten into the habit of tattling on Luke every chance she got.

"Abbie. What have Mom and I told you?"

She frowned for a moment, then her face lit up as she remembered. "Not to talk to strangers. To always hold your hand when crossing the street. Not to jump on the bed."

I smiled. She was right on all of those. "What did we say about tattling?"

Her face fell. "That I shouldn't tell on Luke every time he does something. Only when he does something that's dangerous or wrong."

"That's right. How would you feel if Luke told on you all the time?"

"I wouldn't like that," she admitted quietly. "But, Daddy! He was eating bugs!"

I couldn't contain my laughter at her sound of utter disgust. Granted, I felt the same way. I made my way over to Luke and took his hands.

"Hey, buddy."

"Hey, Daddy."

"Abbie says that you've been eating bugs again."

He shook his head. "Nope. No bugs," he said, holding out his hands to show me they were empty. "No bugs."

"Where did the bugs go?" I asked, crouching down next to him.

"Away," he said before he stood up.

I was afraid that away meant in his belly. _Ugh_. Taking his hand in mine, we headed inside where I knew Bella was getting lunch ready. It was our last weekend of summer and next week my baby girl would be starting first grade. She'd attended preschool and kindergarten at the same place, so going to the big kid school was going to be different for her. I already knew that I was going to cry like a baby when she walked into the school building. I just hoped that she wouldn't. There was nothing worse than seeing my baby girl cry. Except maybe seeing Luke or Bella cry. But somehow, when it was Abbie's tears, it was worse. Her tears made me feel like I'd let her down; like I was failing as a father.

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><p>"You okay?" Bella asked me softly as we walked Abbie out to the car. Mom was watching Luke while we took Abbie to her first day of school at Forks Elementary.<p>

I shook my head. "Not really. She's my baby girl. She can't be ready for school yet."

Bella laughed softly. "I feel the same way. She's growing up so fast. Before we know it she'll be dating."

I let out a growl. There was no way baby girl was ever going to date. Not until she was at least thirty.

"Daddy?" my little girl whispered as I put her in the car.

"Yes?"

"I'm scared," she said, her lower lip trembling.

_Aw, heck._ If she started crying, it was going to be all over for me.

I reached over and gave her a hug, pulling her in close. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and then to her cheek.

"You're going to be just fine, sweet girl. You're going to have so much fun, and you're going to make a lot of new friends. Plus, some of your friends from kindergarten will be in your class. You're going to do great!"

After some tears shed, Bella and I watched as our little girl walked into the school. She had found her best friend, Hope, and the two little girls held hands as they bravely walked through the doors. We watched until she was out of sight before climbing into our car and driving to my parents' house.

"How was she?" Mom asked as we sat down on the couch.

"Pretty good. A few tears in the car, but once she saw Hope, it made things better," Bella told her.

"And how are you?" she asked the both of us.

"I'm okay. A bit sad to see my little girl growing up, but I know she'll do great. Edward, on the other hand, was about to have a meltdown."

"I was not!" I protested. "I just had a moment, that's all. She's my baby girl!"

"I know, my boy. I know. It's always hard to send your children off to their first day of school. I remember when your father and I took you. You threw a fit and refused to get out of the car. Said that you knew everything already."

Bella cracked up at hearing that. "Abbie said almost the same thing."

Bella and I had taken the day off and spent it hanging out with our boy. By the time two rolled around, we were anxious to pick Abbie up from school. We pulled up the school and got out, waiting by the car as the children came out in a line. Upon seeing us, Abbie's face lit up and she ran toward us.

"Mama! Daddy! Look!" she cried out, waving a piece of paper at us.

Bella took the paper as I scooped my girl up and held her close. Peering over Bella's shoulder, I looked at the paper. It looked as though she was practicing her writing and there was a gold star at the top.

"I got a gold star! It's cuz I knew how to write my name and the whole alphabet!" she exclaimed, pride written all over face.

I hugged my girl tighter before planting a kiss on her cheek. "Well done, sweet girl! I take it you had a good day then?"

She nodded. "The best. My teacher, Miss June is super nice. And she let me sit next to Hope!"

"That's great, baby!" Bella enthused, planting a kiss on Abbie's cheek.

Mom had insisted that we stop by their house after picking up Abbie. She was throwing a "Congratulations on your first day of school" party or something like that. We arrived at the house and found the whole family gathered with the exception of Jasper. Even Alice was there, something that Bella was less than pleased to see. Their relationship hadn't strengthened, but lessened as the years had gone by. Actually, Alice's relationships with the whole family had deteriorated over the years.

I was less than pleased to see that Alice had brought Vincent with her. He was her boss/boyfriend and a less than pleasant man. It was obvious to us that he was using her for her money, but she refused to believe us. I had tried talking her out of dating him at first, but eventually I had given up. Nothing I said would change her mind. Personally, I felt that she was only dating him because she knew we didn't approve of him.

"Hello, Alice."

"Hi, Edward. Hi, Abbie."

Abbie shied away from Alice, choosing to stay close to me. She wasn't comfortable around Alice and it showed. Alice frowned when Abbie didn't say anything to her, and I shot Alice a warning look. If she said anything negative to my baby girl there would be heck to pay.

"Gramma! Papa! Guess what?" Abbie hollered upon seeing my parents.

The rest of the evening was spent listening to my baby girl tell us all about her first day of first grade. As we drove home with two sleeping children in the back of the car, I couldn't help but smile as just how good life truly was.

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><p>an: Ta da! And it's done. Thank you all so much for staying with me throughout this story. Throw me on author alert if you haven't already, so that when the next story is up and running, you'll know.


	29. Emmett Outtake

Disclaimer: I does not own it. I is a sad, sad panda.

A/N: This outtake isn't all that long, but it does what it needed to do. It's just a little glimpse into Emmett and his life. I heart Emmett. I truly do. If only my big brother was as cool as Emmett. I've also sent off the first chapter of my new story to a new beta. Just waiting to hear back from her and then hopefully my new story will be up.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

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><p><strong>EMPOV<strong>

Life was so fucking weird. It really was. I sure as fuck never thought my life would end up the way it had, but looking down into the face of my little girl, I was glad that it had.

I'd always been the funny guy, the jock, Mr. Popular, and just plain fucking awesome. I smirked a bit at that thought. I was fucking awesome. So when I'd met Rosalie for the first time, I'd known that she wouldn't be able to resist my charms. I mean, really? Who could possibly resist me?

I'd been studying engineering at Udub and had seen her in a few of my classes. She was everything I had looked for in a woman. Tall, leggy, big busted, blond. To add icing to the cake, she was smart too. We'd gotten along well and within a few weeks we were dating exclusively. I'd taken her home for Spring Break to introduce her to the family. I had been pleased to see that she'd gotten along with most everyone. Except for Edward. She and Edward loathed each other, and I couldn't figure out why. I was ashamed to admit, that I didn't let it bother me that she picked on him constantly.

Our junior year of school, we moved into an apartment off campus that Mom and Dad paid for, and Rosalie was dropping hints about getting married. So I proposed that Christmas, and the next year was spent planning the wedding. I'd had no desire to have a lavish wedding, but it was what she wanted, so that was what she got. It was a huge ass wedding. Over three hundred guests, a huge cake, and lots of alcohol. That's about all I remember from it. That should've clued me in, huh?

We stayed in Seattle, in the house that my parents' bought us as a wedding present. Rosalie bitched that it wasn't big enough, or in the best neighborhood, but I tuned her out for the most part. She'd grown up privileged and was a bit spoiled, but I loved her with every fiber in my being.

I got a good job working as an engineer for a company in Seattle, while Rosalie flitted around, not really trying to find a job. At the time, I hadn't seen it that way, but looking back, I could see that was what she had done. She would occasionally hint that I should have a better job or make more money, but I liked what I did, so I pretty much ignored her.

A year and a half before we divorced, shit had started to hit the fan. We were bickering a lot. Mainly about money. She would spend tons of money on designer clothes and charge it on the credit cards. I finally put my foot down when I saw a bill for over five thousand dollars spent on one item. That was ridiculous.

"I don't see what the problem is, Emmett," she'd complained. "It's not like you don't have a trust fund."

"I'm not touching my trust fund unless it's an emergency. You know that, Rosie. You need to stop spending money like it's water. I make good money, but not enough to feed your shopping habit. It stops now," I'd told her.

She'd thrown a tantrum, screaming and throwing things, but I'd refused to change my mind. Not that it mattered. The next month, I got another huge bill and that was when I paid off the balances and shut down the cards. She'd gone to stay with a girlfriend for a week after that. She came back all sweet and apologetic, and I believed her. Looking back, I can't believe what a sucker I was.

It wasn't until Bella moved to town and expressed an interest in Eddie that things really went down hill. Don't get me wrong. None of it was Bella's fault. She was just the catalyst, the straw that broke the camel's back, the – well, you get what I mean.

Somewhere along the way, Rosalie had gotten it in her head, that her sister would be perfect for Lauren. I'd done my best to discourage that idea, but to no avail. And then when Rosalie had spouted off stuff about Bella being a manipulator and playing Edward for a fool, I had believed her. No one fucks with my little bro but me. I saw red and it never occurred that Rosalie was playing me for a fool. But she did. And I felt horrible. I really liked Bella, and I couldn't apologize enough.

Things quickly went downhill from there, and I had finally moved out. I had been living at Mom and Dad's, while I hated being twenty-seven and living at home, it had been better than living with Rosalie. She'd stopped by to see me one day, and I'd laid it out flat for her. I'd told her she either agreed to marriage counseling or it was over. She'd stomped off, and I hadn't seen her again until the night of the dinner reception.

She'd showed up at the restaurant in an attempt to ruin things for Eddie and Bells. I'd sat her down and waited until the others had left, before talking.

"What are you doing here, Rosalie?"

"It's a public restaurant, Emmett. I can come in here if I want," she'd said, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling.

"You didn't come here for dinner. You came to spread your vile around in an attempt to ruin Edward and Bella's night. This has got to stop, Rosalie!"

She'd refused to look at me, focusing her gaze on her nails. I had opened the satchel that was at my feet. I'd stopped by lawyer's office before coming to the restaurant, and I'd pulled out the divorce papers. I'd smacked the papers down on the table in front of her.

"What's this?

"The divorce papers. Get a lawyer and have them look it over. You can keep the house in Seattle, but that's all you'll get from me," I'd told her.

The look on her face had been part disbelief and part fury.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she'd practically screamed. It was a good thing we had been seated in the back, in a small room reserved for parties.

"No. I'm fucking serious. I'm done. I'm done with you and this farce of a marriage."

"You won't divorce me. You love me too much," she'd sneered.

She had been right. "Yes, I do love you, though God knows why. But that doesn't mean I have to put up with your shit. I shouldn't have to. There's someone else out there for me, who will love me for who I am, not how much money my family has."

She'd narrowed her eyes at me. "You've been fucking around, haven't you? You fucking asshole! You've been cheating on me! Who is she?"

I'd shaken my head. "There is no one else. Have your lawyer call mine," I'd said, then left the restaurant.

She'd dragged the divorce out for months. Tried claiming that I had cheated on her, then when that hadn't worked, she'd begged me to give her another chance and she'd go to counseling. I hadn't fallen for any of it. Six months later we were finally divorced, and while I was sad, I was also extremely happy. I was a free man.

* * *

><p>Living next to Edward and Bella had been a great decision. I'd transferred to a company in Port Angeles shortly after the divorce, and I'd loved it. Plus, living next to those two had meant saving on gas by car pooling. And of course, once Abbie had come along, it had meant I could babysit that little angel. I remembered the first time I held her. She was so tiny and precious, and I couldn't have stopped the tears that fell from my eyes if I'd tried. I'd promised her that I'd be the best uncle she ever had. And I was.<p>

Two years after Abbie was born, I'd met the woman who was my wife. I'd gone into the comic store to see if Edward was free for lunch, and I'd almost bowled over a small woman coming out of the store.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see you there," I'd apologized with a cocky smirk.

She'd looked up at me, and the world had come to a standstill. She was breathtaking. Long red hair, green eyes, and freckles all over. Or at least I'd imagined that they were all over. I'd later found out that I was right about the freckles.

"It's okay, but perhaps you should watch where you're going," she'd said, before cocking her head to the side. "Let me guess. You're on your way to get the newest Marvel action figure to play with?"

I'd let out a snort. "Hardly. I'm here to see if my little bro is available for lunch. He's the manager."

Her eyes had lit up with my words. "You must be Emmett. Edward's told me about you. Okay, well actually, he's warned me about you."

I'd feigned being hurt. "Why in the world would you need a warning about me? I'm just a super cute, super awesome guy."

"And super modest."

"That's a given. So, how do you know Eddie boy?"

"I'm a comic book junkie. He's helping me feed my addiction," she'd said.

After our initial meeting, we'd met up for lunch a few times a week. Since the divorce, I'd been cautious about getting into a relationship, but I had known after spending time with Maggie, that she was it for me. I'd fallen in love with her so quickly, and it had been a bit terrifying.

I'd learned that she was a fourth grade science teacher at Forks Elementary, was twenty-five, had never been married, and wanted a couple of kids. She loved comic books, video games, and books. I'd known without a doubt that she would fit right in with the family, and I'd been right.

"Hey, everyone!" I'd hollered as I'd stepped through the door of my parents' house with Maggie in tow.

"Unca Em!" a tiny voice had called out before running toward me.

I'd immediately swept my girl up in a hug. "How's my best girl?"

She'd babbled away in that undistinguishable language that only two year olds understand, but I'd nodded and given her all my attention. Finally, she'd squirmed until I set her down, then I reached out a hand for Maggie. She'd slipped her hand in mine, and we'd entered the living room.

"Hey, gang. This is Maggie McKennon. Maggie, this is my family."

After introductions had been done, we'd all sat around and talked. At one point, both Mom and Bella had pulled me aside to let me know how much they liked Maggie.

A year later we'd gotten engaged and then found ourselves pregnant. The family had been thrilled. We'd had a small wedding before Emma was born. The labor had been eighteen hours long, and Maggie had called me all kinds of names, and even threatened to never let me have sex with her again. Edward and Dad had assured me that she didn't mean it.

A year later, we were at again. I cradled Siobhan closer, inhaling that wonderful baby smell. I knew that we were going to have our work cut out for us with our two girls, but I was excited.

* * *

><p>"Daddy! Emma won't let me play with her barbies!" Siobhan whined as she stomped into the living room.<p>

I let out a sigh. I so didn't want to deal with that. Fucking Barbie had caused many a war in our house, and I was tempted to gather all of them up and toss them in the garbage.

"Why don't you play with your own barbies?" I asked her, running a hand over her red curls.

"Because Emma has Cinderella barbie, and that's who I want to play with."

I had no idea why that was a big deal. Weren't they all the same?

"If Emma's playing with her, then you'll just have to wait until she's done," I told her.

"But she's not playing with her!" Siobhan whined.

I ran my fingers through my hair trying to come up with a solution when Emma came down the stairs.

"You're such a baby, Siobhan!"

"Am not!"

"Are, too!"

"Girls! Stop it!" I said, giving them both a stern look. "Emma? Are you currently playing with the cinderella doll?"

"No."

"Then let your sister play with her."

"But, Daddy! She always messes up Cinderella's hair!"

_Oh, my fucking God._ I closed my eyes and opened them to find both girls staring at me, clearly upset with me.

"It's just hair, Em. Let your sister play with the doll."

"Fine!" she shouted before stomping up the stairs with Siobhan on her heels.

I slouched back in the recliner, wondering why God felt the need to have given me girls. I knew nothing about them. Emma had just turned eight and was a force to be reckoned with. She was going through a bossy big sister phase, and I hoped to hell it ended soon. Siobhan was seven, and our quiet girl. But boy did she have a temper. I blamed Maggie's Irish side while she blamed mine.

I had just settled back, turned the TV on when I heard a bloodcurdling scream. I jumped up and ran up the stairs, finding the girls in Emma's room. I was floored by what I saw. Emma was holding a pair of scissors that she had apparently used to cut Siobhan's hair. Badly. A red curly ponytail was on the floor next to where Siobhan stood. Tears were streaming down her face, screams coming out of her mouth. Emma stood there with a smirk on her face. I had to take a deep breath before I shouted something at her that I would regret.

"Put the scissor down, now!" I yelled.

Emma set them down on her dresser before I made her go stand in the corner. I gathered a sobbing Siobhan up in my arms, cuddling her, trying to dry her tears. Turning to face Emma, I told her to go downstairs and get the broom, dustpan and two garbage bags. When she came back, I made her sweep up all the hair, and then I made her gather up all her barbies and put them on her bed.

"Emma. I want you to put all your barbies in the garbage bag."

She looked at me, horrified. "Now!" I stated.

Her lower lip trembled as she started shoving barbies into the bag. Once all the barbies where in it, I took the bag from her.

"You're to stay in this room until Mom gets home."

She threw herself on her bed, screaming that I was horrible dad. I sure as fuck felt like one. After grabbing the scissors and the bag of barbies, I took Siobhan down to the kitchen with me where I called Maggie.

"Hey, sweetie! What's up?" she asked.

"Emma cut off Siobhan's ponytail."

I held the phone away from my ear as Maggie let out a screech. A few minutes later, we had agreed on a punishment for Emma, and I had called my mom to come fix Siobhan's hair.

Later that night, we sat down with the girls and talked. We talked about doing mean things, about punishments, about using scissors without adult supervision. When it was all said and done, we had two unhappy little girls on our hands.

After settling the girls down and putting them to bed, I spent some quality time with my wife.

"How would you feel about adding another child to this crazy family of ours?" she asked, once she'd caught her breath.

"Are you?"

"Yup."

_Holy fuck!_ We were going to have another baby! I was ecstatic. I just really hoped it was a boy. I needed a boy to help me out with all of the crazy females in my life.

I leaned down and kissed her with all the love I had. Life was great, and it was only going to get better.

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><p>An: so there we go. A little bit of Emmett. Jasper's outtake will be coming soon. Thanks for reading!


	30. Rosalie Outtake

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

A/N: I wrote this short outtake at work tonight for mamto who expressed an interest in finding more out about Rosalie. It isn't very long, but it does give a glimpse into Rosalie Hale, bitch extraordinaire.

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><p><strong>DESIGN FOR LIFE<strong>

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><p><strong>RPOV<strong>

I scowled as I pulled my Lexus into the parking lot for the dormitory where I would be staying. I couldn't believe that I was going to have to live in a dorm and share not only a room, but a bathroom with others. I was appalled and furious that my life had come to that. I mean, hello! I was Rosalie Hale. Head cheerleader, Homecoming and Prom Queen, Miss Popularity. I grew up in a huge house in the best neighborhood in Portland, had gone to the best high school, wore the latest fashions, and drove an expensive car. And then daddy had lost his job. I was still furious. Daddy had been the president of the largest bank in Portland, and then someone spouted shit about how he was embezzling or something and the next thing I knew we were in the poor house. Thank God my car was already paid off. I shuddered to think that I could have ended up driving a used Honda like my sister. Poor girl.

Unfortunately, because we no longer had as much money as we used to, I was having to forgo the apartment off campus and live with a bunch of strangers. I continued to scowl as I dragged my boxes and my Louie Vuitton bag up the stairs to my room. I gasped in horror when I opened the door. _How the fuck was I supposed to live in there with another person?_ My bathroom at home was bigger than that room!

The first week passed by slowly, and I met a guy named Emmett Cullen in one of my classes. He was cute enough, and I knew that all I had to do was flirt a bit and flash my cleavage, and I'd have him at my beck and call. I wasn't looking to get serious with anyone, but I wasn't opposed to using some guy to buy me stuff. And sure enough, the big oaf fell hard for me. I had that boy eating out of the palm of my hand. He bought me whatever I wanted, and it didn't hurt that he was good in bed. I decided that I might keep him around.

By the time spring break rolled around, Emmett wanted me to go home with him. I tried to get him to take me to Cancun, but it wasn't happening. Reluctantly, I'd agreed to go home with him.

I could barely contain my gasp as his family home came into view. His house was bigger than mine. I had an inkling that Emmett was well off, but it was clear that he was more than well off. He was fucking loaded, and I decided then and there that I would do whatever it took to get him to marry me. If I married Emmett, I'd be able to go back to the lifestyle that I was used to. No more having to buy decent knock offs.

Tossing my hair back, I took a deep breath, and put on my best smile. It was time to bring on the acting. I had to make his family love me or at least like me.

By the time spring break was over, I was positive that his family loved me. Well, except for Edward. That kid was annoying as fuck, and I couldn't resist bugging the shit out of him. He was like an old man in a young man's body. He was hot and if I thought for a second I could seduce him and win him over, I would have.

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><p>Emmett and I had been together for three years. We'd gotten an apartment of campus, but it was a crappy apartment. I knew he could afford something way better, but he wouldn't, so I suffered through it. Once we were married, it would be my money as well, and I could spend it any way I saw fit. Of course, I had to get him to propose first. I'd been dropping hints like crazy, hoping he'd take the initiative.<p>

Finally, he did. He took me to a super expensive restaurant and proposed. I was a bit disappointed in the size of the diamond. I was certainly expecting something larger, but I said yes regardless. I could always buy myself a bigger diamond later.

The next few months were spent planning my wedding. Daddy had gotten a job at a different bank and was making decent money again, so I went all out. I invited all of my friends from high school and college. I wanted them to see just how well I was doing. Mother and Daddy bought me a beautiful wedding gown. It was an original from Vera Wang and only cost a little over seven thousand. I thought that was pretty cheap. The dress I'd really wanted was over fifteen thousand, but Daddy had said no.

Our wedding was perfect. Everyone was so envious of me, especially my sister, Lauren. She was dating some guy who's father was a big shot attorney, and she was just waiting for him to pop the question, but so far he hadn't.

We honeymooned in Aruba, and when we got back, we found out that Carlisle and Esme had boughten us a house as a wedding gift. It was a nice house, I guess. It was in a fairly decent neighborhood, but it wasn't Mercer Island. That was where I wanted to live. That's where anybody who was anybody in Seattle lived. I'd known there was no point in whining to Emmett about it. He loved the house.

Once I was listed on the bank account, I started filling out for credit cards. Credit cards are a girl's best friend, and I had lots of them. I had no qualms about spending money, but apparently Emmett did. After he'd gotten a bill from one of my cards, he lectured me on my spending habits. _Who the fuck did he think he was? _ It was my money, too and if I wanted to spend five thousand dollars on a pair of shoes I would.

Despite Emmett being a tight ass when it came to money, I never thought he'd cancel my cards, but he did. That was the night we had our first huge fight. It only went downhill from there.

And then _she_ showed up. I hadn't thought much of her the first time I met her at the tattoo shop she worked at. It wasn't until she started standing up and defending that pathetic excuse for a Cullen that she became a problem. My sister's wealthy boyfriend had broken up with her, and she was in need of a new one. I figured I could hook her up with Edward. I was positive that she could seduce him into doing anything she asked. Unfortunately, he had a thing for Isabella Swan. Thorn in my fucking side. That bitch was going to ruin our plans. Lauren and I had figured that once she got and Edward got married, we could all live happily for a few years, before divorcing them and taking them for every penny they had. I hadn't had to sign a prenup, so we figured she wouldn't either. But Isabella Swan was about to ruin everything. So I did what I do best. I spread lies about her. Told the family that she was just using Edward. That she thought he was pathetic. And they bought it. Ate it out of the palm of my fucking hand. I was just that good.

Or so I thought. I don't know what that bitch said or did, but she managed to get back into the Cullen's good graces. I was furious. Then her ex-boyfriend came to town, and Lauren I figured we could use him. Lauren had been partying at First Beach when she saw him. She'd approached him, but had quickly realized that he was so fucking coked out of his head that he wouldn't be of much use. And then the asshole turned up dead, and Isabella ended up being a target. I figured for sure that the Cullen family would insist that Edward break up with her in order to keep him safe, but no. They fucking rallied around her. Pissed me off. I seriously had hoped the bitch would get killed.

Unfortunately for me, I'd muttered that out loud one night at home.

"How the fuck can you say such a thing?" Emmett demanded to know.

"Oh, please. She purposely put herself in danger for attention. It's so fucking obvious," I'd told him.

It wasn't long after that fight, that Emmett moved out. I was floored. _Did he really think he could leave me? _Well, I'd show him. There was a guy at work that had been eying me for months, and I let him have a taste of Rosalie Hale. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't great.

A few weeks passed, and Emmett still hadn't come back. I was beyond livid. Nobody turned away from me! Nobody! I went to his parents' house to demand that he come back, and that hadn't gone well. Stupid fucking Isabella Swan was digging her claws into my man and turning him against me.

I drowned my anger in men. I slept with several different guys knowing that Emmett was probably out fucking around. I'd heard from my sister who'd heard from a friend that Emmett had moved into Edward's old house. Emmett was probably fucking Swan when Edward was at work. Wouldn't have surprised me. That bitch had him in the palm of her hand.

A month later, Lauren told me that Edward and Isabella were having a dinner rehearsal at Cafe Garden in Port Angeles. It was a public place so they couldn't deny me entry. I needed to see Emmett. I had a few words to say to him before allowing him to come crawling back to me. He was pissed that I showed up and forced me to sit down and listen to him talk. I didn't really pay much attention to what he said, but then he set some papers down in front of me. Divorce papers. I couldn't fucking believe it! The bastard was going to divorce me. I'd take him to the cleaners. I'd get every penny from him no matter the cost.

In the end, the fucking asshole won. Sure, I'd gotten to keep the house, but I'd shelled out thousands in legal fees. The fucking bastard had a shit ton of money and could have kept it up for years, but I didn't. My father had told me that he wasn't paying for any more of my legal fees and to just sign the fucking papers. So I had.

It's been six years since the divorce and last I heard, Emmett was married with a couple of brats. Some bitch was sitting beside him, spending my money! My father had supported me financially for a while before cutting me off. That was fine. I'd gotten married last year to a man twenty-five years my age. He was lousy in bed when he could get it up, but he was loaded. He was an investment banker, and a former friend of my father's. He had a house on Mercer Island, and a vacation home in the Hamptons. I was good with that. He doted on me and bought me whatever I wanted. I never failed to remind him that I could find somebody better, and he made sure to keep me happy.

Alice and I kept in touch after the divorce, and she kept me in the loop. Telling me all the latest going ons with the Cullens. She and Jasper divorced, and she was currently dating her boss. She claimed she loved him, but I knew she was just sleeping her way to the top. Nothing wrong with that. You do what you have to do. God knows, I did.

Looking out over the bay from my balcony, I hoped that Emmett was miserable. How could he not be? He was stuck married to some awful redhead and had a couple of brats. I'd bet anything that the bastard was wishing he had me back.

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><p>an: Jasper's outtake will be up next.


	31. Jasper's Outtake

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Boy, I had a hard time writing this outtake. I rewrote it a few times, but I'm happy with it. It's not very long, but again, I felt it did what it needed to do. I should be working on my new story, but I keep coming up with outtakes for this one. Oh,well. Next outtake will be from Carlisle and Esme's POV.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

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><p><strong>JPOV<strong>

If you had told me that by the time I was forty I would have been divorced twice, I wouldn't have believed you. I certainly never saw myself ending up the way I had, but looking over at my son, I couldn't complain. Well, not too much anyway.

When I'd met my first wife, Alice, I'd thought we would be together forever. Boy, was I wrong. Something I was extremely grateful for. She had been sweet and wonderful, if not a bit spoiled when we had first met. I had been living in Seattle attending college and had become friends with her brother, Edward. He'd introduced me to her, and I had fallen hard.

After graduation, I'd moved to Forks so I could be closer to her. The next few years were spent in the honeymoon phase. We'd never argued, never fought. We had been so sucked up in being in love. I should have known that it wouldn't last.

Shortly after Bella had moved to town, Alice had begun to change. She and Rosalie had begun scheming and talking shit about Bella, and Alice had refused to understand why her brother would get mad at her. We'd had more than a few fights when I'd defended Bella or Edward, and she would play the injured party. But I'd stayed with her. Shows what an idiot I was back then.

We'd gotten married a couple of months after Edward and Bella. Something that had pissed Alice off. As far as she was concerned they had gotten married before us just to spite her. I'd rolled my eyes, but had kept my mouth shut.

Our wedding had been huge, lavish, and completely unnecessary. I would have preferred the kind of wedding Bella and Edward had had, but Alice had insisted on spending thousands of dollars on it.

Shortly, after our marriage we moved to Seattle so that Alice could work with some designer. I was a small town kind of guy, and I had never really been happy living in Seattle. Alice had loved it. Every weekend had been spent being dragged off to some fancy restaurant, or the hottest clubs. It had gotten old real quick, but I'd sucked it up.

Six years later, we had still been in Seattle. I'd hated the school I taught at, and I'd hated Alice for dragging me from one stupid function to the next. I'd grown tired of living in an overly pricey apartment. I had wanted a house and some kids. Apparently, I had been the only one in our marriage ready for that.

"Look, Jasper," Alice had said, after we'd had yet another argument about kids. "I don't want children. I don't like them. I want to focus on me and my career. Not some snotty little brats."

I'd been floored. She'd never told me she didn't want kids, instead saying the time wasn't right. I'd been furious that she had been lying to me all those years. And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I'd gotten a call from my Aunt Marge. She'd told me that my dad was dying. He had been diagnosed with mouth and throat cancer, and it had been so far gone, there wasn't much the doctors could do for him. The only thing he'd wanted was for me to come home. There was no way I could deny him.

I'd told Alice that we had to leave Seattle. She'd thrown a fit, but had finally relented after I'd pointed out that I'd sacrificed my happiness to live in Seattle. Being back in my hometown, had brought back so many wonderful memories, and I'd found myself falling in love with it all over again. We'd moved into my dad's house so that I could help him out when I was home. Alice had hated it. Bitched about it from day one and had no respect for my dying father. There had been a time or two where I had come close to smacking her.

Everything had come to an end, when we'd gone to back to Forks to celebrate Emmett's birthday. I'd overheard Alice telling Emmett that she wouldn't be able to make it to his party because she had a job interview in Seattle. We'd had a huge fight, and I'd finally told her it was over.

It had been a messy divorce, but in the end, we'd each walked away with what we had brought into the marriage. I'd gone back to Texas, buried my dad, and had tried to move on. It had been hard. I'd taken to drinking a bit too much, and it hadn't been until Carlisle and Esme had come to visit me, that I had realized just how bad off I was.

They'd always been like a second set of parents to me, but I had figured once Alice and I had divorced, I wouldn't see much of them anymore. I had been wrong. They had still loved me, and still treated me like a member of the family. They'd sat me down and told me how worried about me they were. With their guidance and support, I'd gotten help. There were still days when I needed an AA meeting.

Two years after the divorce, I'd met Sheila at the grocery store. We'd started dating and before I knew it we were married. It had all happened so fast, but I'd loved her. Six months after our wedding, she'd told me she was pregnant. I had been ecstatic. She hadn't been. She'd complained that it had happened too soon, and it would ruin her career. She'd been working her way up the ranks in a law firm that had been near our house.

After Ryan was born, she'd taken time off of work, and had become a loving and doting mother. He was the light of my life. Absolutely beautiful and ours. He was perfect, and we'd fallen into a wonderful routine. Our life had been going so well. Or at least I thought it had been. Shows how naïve I was.

When Ryan was three, I'd come home from work early only to find Sheila in our bed with another man. I'd seen red and murder had been on my mind. But I hadn't killed anyone. I'd just packed up some clothes for Ryan and myself, and had told Sheila she had two hours to get out of my house.

Unlike my divorce with Alice, my divorce with Sheila had gone smoothly. She hadn't even put up a fight when I had asked for sole custody of Ryan. The first few months after the divorce, Ryan had been temperamental, not quite understanding that Mama wasn't going to be living with us anymore. It had pained me to see my son so upset, but we had gotten through it.

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><p>"Dad! Dad! Are you coming? Uncle Emmett wants to build a fort in the living room!" my son shouted as he ran into my bedroom.<p>

I could barely contain rolling my eyes. Uncle Emmett was the bane of my existence. Whenever he came for a visit, he always destroyed my house. Ryan did that enough on his own, he certainly didn't need any help from Uncle Emmett.

Uncle Emmett, Aunt Maggie, Uncle Edward, and Aunt Bella, along with Grandma and Pops, and all the cousins had come for a visit. Ryan knew that he wasn't really related to any of them, but as far as we were both concerned they were family. Thankfully, Alice never came to any family functions when Ryan and I visited Forks. She had distanced herself from her family and last I heard, she had moved to New York.

"Dad?"

I turned to look at my son, drinking him in. He'd just turned seven and was growing like a weed. He was the second youngest of cousins, but he held his own. Especially against his cousin Matt. Emmett's son was a force to be reckoned with. The poor kid was the spitting image of Emmett and emulated his dad. He was constantly getting into trouble, and dragging anyone along with him if he could.

"Go on. I'll be there in a second," I told Ryan.

"A second's already passed," he informed me.

I snorted. My kid could be a real smart-ass. I swatted at him and laughed as he danced away, heading for the stairs. A few minutes later, I headed downstairs toward the living room where there was a constant stream of chatter and laughter. I propped myself up against the wall and watched as Emmett and Matt attempted to make a fort out of my couch cushions and blankets.

"Aren't you gonna help?" Emmett asked me, peering out from behind a cushion.

"Nope. You got it handled."

"You're no fun," he pouted.

Maggie rolled her eyes, commenting on what a big kid he was. He didn't even bother to deny it.

Later that evening, we ate barbeque in the backyard and the adults watched as the kids played with water guns. I loved summer, but I especially enjoyed it when we all got together. I was extremely thankful to have the Cullen clan in our lives.

"What's got you all serious?" Esme asked me.

I turned to look at her. "Just thinking how lucky Ryan and I are to have you all."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged me. "We're lucky to have both of you as well."

The week passed quickly and Ryan and I were sad to see them leave. But we'd be seeing them in a few weeks when we headed to DisneyLand for our annual summer vacation.

"Hey, Dad?" he asked, as I tucked him into bed.

"Do you think Mom misses me?" he asked quietly.

I took a moment to think about how to answer. Sheila used to visit him every other weekend. She'd moved to Dallas after the divorce, so when she came to town, she'd get a hotel and she and Ryan would stay there for the weekend. But the in the past year she hadn't bothered to make the effort. The last time she'd visited him was four months ago, and he hadn't seemed upset when she didn't show, so I hadn't made a big deal about it.

"I'm sure she does," I told him, running a hand over his curls.

"Then why doesn't she come to visit me anymore?"

I had no answer for that, so I told him that I didn't know. "But if you want, we can call her and see if she can't come for a visit soon."

He shook his head. "No. I don't like it when she visits."

"Why not?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

"We always have to go do boring things and she says mean things about you and says how she wants me to visit her in Dallas."

I didn't know what to say to that. I had done my best not to talk shit about Sheila to him, but I wasn't surprised to hear that she didn't extend me the same curtesy. But I'd be damned if she took my boy to Dallas.

"How about this? If she comes to visit, you can just hang out here around the house with me. That sound okay?"

He nodded. "I like that it's just us," he whispered.

"Me, too, bud. Me, too," I whispered back.

He threw his arms around me and gave me a hard hug. It was moments like that, that made all the heartache and pain and suffering that I'd gone through worth it. I had my boy and a great family. What more could I ask for?

A/n: See? Jasper got his happy ever after, too. It might not involve the love of a good woman, but he's got a fantastic kid.


	32. EsmeCarlisle Outtake

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: This may or may not be the last outtake. I might do one more after this. I'll be posting my new story soon. At least I hope so. I've got so many ideas running around in my head, that I've actually started writing two different, yet slightly similar stories. One is dark and slightly disturbing (B/E), the other is slightly dark, yet fluffy (B/E). I'll probably end up posting both.

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><p><strong>Design For Life<strong>

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><p><strong>EsmePOV<strong>

As I sat in the gym of Forks High, it was hard to believe that my oldest grand-baby was graduating. She was off to Dartmouth in the fall, and we couldn't be prouder of her. Although, I knew Edward was going to have a hard time letting her go. She was his baby girl, and the two of them were as thick as thieves.

When Abbie's name was called, our family stood up and hooted and hollered and effectively embarrassed the poor girl. Snickering to myself at the glower on her face, I knew we'd be in for a tongue lashing later, but it was my right as a grandmother to embarrass my grandchildren.

After graduation was over, we met Abbie in the parking lot. I wrapped her up in a hug, telling her how proud of her I was. We all were. Once she was congratulated and hugged by everyone, we all drove back to our house. Abbie had insisted on having a family celebration instead of a big party like her friends.

As I carried out the cake that Bella had baked, I looked around the yard. Everyone except Alice had showed up. Alice had been difficult for the past eighteen years. We rarely spoke anymore, and it broke my heart. She'd always been my sweet baby girl, but somewhere along the way she had changed.

After she and Jasper divorced, she'd become colder and more critical. She'd been furious with Carlisle and I when she found out that we had still kept in touch with Jasper. She'd accused of us choosing him over family. We'd explained that Jasper was family even if they were no longer together. She hadn't been happy with us. She'd let that resentment grow until it had made her bitter.

The last time I had seen her was three years ago. She had moved to New York to be closer to her lover who was also her boss. I'd been outraged to find out that he was married, and I'd expressed my disappointment in her. She'd told me to mind my own business; that she was an adult and was capable of making her own choices. She was right. There was nothing I could do or say that would make her see reason, so I stopped trying.

"Hey, Grandma!" a voice called, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked up and saw Ryan coming toward me. He was such a sweetheart. At twelve, he was starting to gain some height, and was the spitting image of his father. He'd called me Grandma for as long as I could remember, and as far as we were concerned, he was just another one of our grandchildren.

"Did I tell you that Dad is dating?" he asked me.

I hadn't known that. I'd hoped that Jasper would find someone that was worthy of him and Ryan.

"No, you didn't. Tell me."

"Her name's Hazel and she's a horse breeder. She lives on a ranch outside of town and has horses and everything!" he exclaimed.

"Is that right?"

"Yep. And she's teaching me to ride! She's super cool, and really pretty. Dad likes to kiss her all the time,"he whispered.

I tried to control my laughter.

"Ryan!" Jasper called. "Just what are you telling your grandmother?"

"Nothing," he claimed, trying to act innocent.

Jasper wasn't buying it. "Uh huh. I take it you're telling Grandma about Hazel?"

I sent Ryan away so I could interrogate Jasper about the new woman in his life. I could tell just by talking to him that he was in love with her. She sounded wonderful, and I made him promise to bring her to DisneyLand for our annual trip.

After we all finished eating and everyone was lazing about, I took a moment to take it all in. I couldn't begin to express how happy I was with my family. They'd turned out wonderfully for the most part, and had created beautiful, if not mischievous children.

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><p><strong>CPOV<strong>

"What's wrong, son?" I asked, sitting down next to Edward who was tugging on his hair.

"Besides the fact that my baby girl is off to college in the fall?"

"Yeah, besides that."

"Bella found some porn mags in Luke's room," he told me.

I couldn't contain the snicker. It was too funny. I remembered how Esme had reacted when she'd first found porn in Emmett's room. She'd sat him down and had given him a lecture about safe sex and how she didn't want that filth under her roof. Not that that had stopped him.

"It's not funny, Dad! She's demanding that I talk to him about it."

"Who are you talking to about what?" Emmett asked as he and Jasper sat down next to us.

"Bella found porn in Luke's room," I told them.

Emmett let out a howl of a laughter. "Oh, man. That is awesome!"

Edward turned to glare at him. "Awesome? It's not awesome! She wants me to talk to him about it. Like I know anything about having porn in my room. I never did that. You did though. You should talk to him."

Emmett's face lit up, and Edward quickly realized that he'd made a mistake.

"Never mind. Don't talk to my kid. You'd probably congratulate him and give him more. It was bad enough having to have the sex talk with him."

Emmett was laughing his ass off at Edward's discomfort until Edward brought up the fact that Emmett was raising girls.

"Just wait, Em. One of these days, your girls are gonna start dating."

A look of horror crossed his face. "Hell fucking no! My babies aren't dating until they're thirty!"

"Yeah, good luck with that. I said the same thing, but Bella told Abbie she could start dating at sixteen. So, you've got like two years before Emma starts dating," Edward warned.

"So not happening. I need to have a talk with Maggie about this. Do you really think she'd let my Emma start dating in two years?" he asked, extremely worried.

"Yes," we replied.

"I'll kill any boy that puts his hands on my girls," Emmett growled out, getting worked up. I quickly changed the subject.

"So, what's this I hear about you having a girlfriend?" I asked Jasper.

We spent the next hour listening to Jasper tell us about the woman he was in love with. I prayed that his new relationship lasted. He'd gotten the short end of the stick when it had come to Alice and Sheila. I was still upset with the way Alice had acted. Hell, I was upset with the way she still acted. She was a grown woman, but she acted like a child a majority of the time. I knew that Esme often wondered what we'd done wrong, but it wasn't us. We weren't to blame for the decisions our daughter made.

"Hi, Pops!" Matt said as he plopped down next to me. "Want to see a magic trick?"

"Sure," I told him.

"Okay," he said, flashing me Emmett's dimpled grin. "I'm gonna need a dollar first."

_Oh, hell. _ The kid was truly Emmett's I thought with a laugh.

"No way, kiddo. I know how this trick goes. Your dad used to try and pull it on me all the time when he was a kid."

"Aw, man. Nobody wants to see it," he complained before turning to his dad. "You need to teach me better tricks, Dad!"

Emmett grinned, and I shook my head as I looked at them. Father like son. Or was it son like father. Either way, I felt bad for Maggie and the girls.

Later that night as we lay in bed, I sent up a prayer of thanks. I had the love of a wonderful woman who'd been by my side for over forty years, I had beautiful children who, for the most part, had grown up well. My sons had married wonderful women and given us fantastic grandkids, not to mention that we had been given a surrogate son in Jasper. Yep, life was good.

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><p>An: I know people want an Alice outtake, so I'll probably write one. We'll see.


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